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Rnnk ■■ .Q’^'CO 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 













CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


ELMER RUSSELL GREGOR 



By ELMER R. GREGOR 


JIM MASON, BACKWOODSMAN 
JIM MASON, SCOUT 
CAPTAIN JIM MASON 
Western Indian Series .. 

WHITE OTTER 
THE WAR TRAIL 
THREE SIOUX SCOUTS 


Eastern Indian Series 
SPOTTED DEER 
RUNNING FOX 
THE WHITE WOLF 





THEY STOPPED TO ENJOY THE GLORIOUS PANORAMA OF WOODS AND 
WATER THAT LAY BEFORE THEM 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


BY 

ELMER RUSSELL GREGOR 

AUTHOR OF “jIM MASON, SCOUT”; “jIM MASON, BACKWOODSMAN”; 
“spotted deer,” “three SIOUX SCOUTS,” ETC. 



D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

NEW YORK 1924 :: LONDON 







COPYRIGHT, 1924, by 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 




PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

OCT 15 ’24 

©CU 807 335 


e I 


CONTENTS 


chapter pace 

I. Kichkinet Brings a Clue .... 1 

II. Cause for Anxiety ..... 13 

III. The Mohawk Camp ..... 30 

IV. The Wa-Sa-Seh.43 

Y. A Warning ......... 61 

VI. Plans for Defense ..... 71 

VII. The Attack.80 

VIII. Off to Warn the Fort .... 95 

IX. Waiting for Trouville to Strike . 110 

X. The Search Begins.125 

XI. Anxious Hours.136 

XII. A Daring Rescue.144 

XIII. The Trail Turns Westward . . . 153 

XIV. Perilous Ground.162 

XV. A Council of War.177 

XVI. Under Cover of Darkness . . . 188 

XVII. The Roundup. 203 

XVIII. Overtaken by the Shawnees . . 215 

XIX. Kichkinet Slips Away . . . . 226 

XX. Songs op Victory.240 
















CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


CHAPTER I 

KICHKINET BRINGS A CLUE 
TTER his successful battle with the French 



XjLand their Indians at Lake George, early 
in September, 1755, Colonel William Johnson 
set his troops at work building a strong fort 
at the southeastern end of the lake. It was 
completed early in the autumn, and called Fort 
William Henry in honor of the sons of King 
George. A garrison of colonial militiamen and 
a company of rangers were stationed at the fort 
to watch French activities at Ticonderoga, the 
French stronghold, thirty miles away, at the 
northern end of the lake. 

The rangers were experienced backwoods¬ 
men and scouts who had been recruited from 
the frontier settlements. They were rugged, 
fearless men accustomed to the hardships and 
perils of the wilderness, and well qualified to 
cope with the crafty Canadian voyagers and 
their savage Indian allies whom the French 
sent forth to raid the colonial frontiers. 


1 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


The rangers were commanded by Captain 
Jim Mason, a young frontiersman and scout, 
who was held in high esteem by Colonel 
Johnson and his officers. Jim Mason had 
passed much time among the Mohawks, who 
knew him as Achawi, He-Who-Settles-Disputes. 
Two years previous, after the death of his 
father, he had made his way to the Mohawk 
village to begin his career as a trader. His 
courage and honesty won the respect and confi¬ 
dence of the Mohawks, and he was able to exert 
a strong influence toward gaining their alle¬ 
giance for the English colonists. 

The following year, with the beginning of 
war between the French and the English, Jim 
Mason was made a lieutenant in the colonial 
militia and appointed chief of scouts. He ac¬ 
companied Colonel Johnson on an eventful jour¬ 
ney to Virginia, and enlisted as a scout with 
General Braddock. After the disastrous expe¬ 
dition against Fort Duquesne, Jim returned to 
Fort Johnson and was commissioned to lead a 
company of Mohawks to join Colonel Johnson 
and his troops in the expedition against the 
French at Crown Point. Jim and his Mohawk 
scouts played a conspicuous part in the battle 
with the French at Lake George, and when 
Colonel Johnson v/ithdrew his forces from the 
2 




KICHKINET BRINGS ^ CLUE 


field at the approach of cold weather, Jim was 
promoted to a captaincy in recognition of his 
services, and detailed at Fort William Henry in 
command of the rangers. 

Jim Mason and his rangers found much to do, 
as the French kept marauding companies of 
Canadians and Indians constantly about the 
borders of the English settlements. They made 
their devastating raids, and disappeared into 
the wilderness with amazing suddenness, and 
the border settlements were in a state of panic. 
Alert to the peril, Colonel Johnson realized 
that unless those outlaws were trailed to their 
rendezvous and overcome, there would be little 
peace for the people of the colonies. He de¬ 
termined to employ Mason and his rangers to 
disperse the troublesome foes who had their 
secret rendezvous in the wilderness beyond the 
English frontiers. 

Early in October Jim Mason received orders 
to devote himself to running down the outlaws. 
It was a difficult and perilous task, and Jim 
realized the great responsibility that had been 
placed upon him. However, he was entirely 
familiar with the type of crafty foe with whom 
he had to deal, and he believed that with fair 
luck he might eventually accomplish his task. 

‘‘Well, Dan, we have a real job on our hands 
3 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


again/' he told old Dan Holcombe, a veteran 
scout who had accompanied Jim in many of his 
adventures. 

‘‘Eight sartin, son," declared Holcombe. 
“An' do you know, Jim, I've an idee that I 
know who's at the bottom of this business." 

“Whom do you suspect?" Jim asked, quickly. 

“Wall, I'm not ready to give proof, but I 
figure that Jacques Trouville an' that rogue 
Stockley have a hand in it.'' 

Jim nodded thoughtfully. 

“Dan, I have been thinking of that possi¬ 
bility," he said. 

Holcombe winked. 

At that moment a young fellow in buckskins 
approached and stood at salute. 

“Well, Williams?" Jim inquired. 

“Captain Mason, your friend the Mohawk 
has returned," said the ranger. 

“Send him here," Jim told him. 

“Very good, sir." 

In a few moments Jim and Holcombe were 
joined by a tall, sinewy, young Mohawk war¬ 
rior. 

“Kichkinet, I am glad to see you," Jim said, 
cordially. 

“ Achawi, I have brought words from my peo¬ 
ple," Kichkinet told him. 

4 




KICHKINET BRINGS A CLUE 


He nodded toward Holcombe who returned 
the silent salutation. 

‘^Come to my quarters,” said Jim. ‘‘Hol¬ 
combe, I wish you to hear what Kichkinet has to 
tell me. ’ * 

They went to the officers^ barracks, and en¬ 
tered a small room at one end of the long log 
building. 

“Now, Mohawk, tell us what you have to 
say,” said Jim, as they seated themselves. 

“It is bad,” declared Kichkinet. “Achawi, 
I believe that our enemy Ho-sa-ha-ho and that 
white man are making this trouble for your 
people. ^ ^ 

Jim and Holcombe exchanged glances. 

“Do you mean Jacques Trouville and his 
friend Stockley?” Jim asked, sharply. 

Kichkinet nodded. 

“Are you sure of it?” inquired Jim. 

“No,” replied Kichkinet. “My father told 
me about it. I will tell you about it. My people 
are getting ready for the big hunt. Our hunters 
are in the woods looking for game. You know 
my brother Black Cloud and my brother Stands 
Alone. 

“Yes.” 

“Black Cloud and Stands Alone were far 
away toward the-place-where-the-sun-goes- 
5 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


down. They were looking for game. Pretty 
soon they saw some fresh tracks. They were 
the tracks of Indians. Stands Alone looked 
close. Pretty soon he saw something. He 
called Black Cloud. They found the tracks of 
white men. Two white men were traveling with 
those Indians. They were going toward the 
village of our enemies, the Shawnees.’’ 

Kichkinet paused and looked at his com¬ 
panions. For some moments they continued 
silent. At last Dan Holcombe spoke. 

^‘Mebbe it was a war party of Shawnees mth 
white prisoners,^’ he said. 

Kichkinet declared, emphatically. 
‘‘Stands Alone says those white men were not 
prisoners. He says he followed their tracks a 
long ways. He says the white men moved away 
from the Indians many times. Then they came 
back. Prisoners would not do that.’’ 

“That’s proper figurin’,” agreed Holcombe. 

“Stands Alone says he believes those Indians 
were Hurons, ’ ’ continued Kichkinet. ‘ ‘ He says 
he believes Ho-sa-ha-ho and that other white 
man are with them. He says he believes they 
were going to the village of the Shawnees. He 
says he believes much harm will come of it. My 
father feels bad about it. He sent me here to 
give you the words of Stands Alone. My father 
6 




KICHKINET BRINGS A CLUE 


told me to bring you to his lodge. He wishes 
to talk about this thing. Achawi, will you go 
to my father?’^ 

Jim glanced soberly at Holcombe. The latter 
smiled. 

Jim, it ’pears like my guess warn’t so far 
off after all,” he laughed. 

Jim nodded. Then he turned to Kichkinet. 

‘ ‘ Mohawk, the French have sent both Indians 
and white men into the woods, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ They 
often travel together. How does Stands Alone 
know that those white men were Ho-sa-ha-ho 
and his friend Stockley?” 

‘^Stands Alone has sharp eyes,” declared 
Kichkinet. ^‘He looks close. Ho-sa-ha-ho has 
been to our village many times. Stands Alone 
has seen his tracks. Ho-sa-ha-ho turns one foot 
away from the trail. Stands Alone knows that 
track.” 

^‘Han, it is true,” Jim told Holcombe. 
saw that track. I noticed it when Kichkinet 
and I were trailing Trouville and his friends 
from the Mohawk camp to the river at the time 
they stole my furs. Ha-yo-went-ha showed it 
to me, but I had forgotten it.” 

‘‘That looks convincin’ agin’ Trouville, but 
what’s the proof agin’ Stockley?” inquired 
Holcombe. 


7 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Yes, Kichkinet, tell us how Stands Alone 
knows that the other white man was Stockley,’^ 
said Jim. 

“My father did not tell me that,’’ replied 
Kichkinet. “Perhaps Stands Alone will tell 
you about it. ’ ’ 

“Kichkinet, I will go to talk with your 
father,” agreed Jim. “When the next sun ap¬ 
pears, we will set out for your village.” 

“It is good,” said Kichkinet. 

“Dan, I wish you to go with me,” Jim told 
Holcombe. “Perhaps we shall pick up a clew 
that will place us on the trail of the men who 
have committed these outrages along our bor¬ 
ders. If Trouville and Stockley are the leaders 
of those outlaws, we must run them down. If 
we succeed, I believe our troubles will come 
to an end.” 

“Very likely,” agreed Holcombe. “How¬ 
ever, Trouville an’ his friends are sly wolves, 
an’ our trail is likely to be long an’ rough 
before we finally hole them up in their den. 
Anyway, Jim, it ’pears to me like we’ve struck 
a warm scent, an’ we’d best follow it.” 

Jim left his companions and went to report 
to Colonel Bagley, the commanding officer at 
the fort. The officer listened attentively and 
8 



KICHKINET BRINGS A CLUE 


heartily approved Jim’s proposed visit to the 
Mohawk camp. 

‘‘Mason, it looks like a clue, and I know you 
are wise enough to make the most of it. If 
you can run down the cowardly outlaws who are 
causing so much trouble along our frontiers you 
will render a great service to our people. I 
wish you the best of luck. If you require aid, 
send a courier, and I will send a strong force 
to your assistance.” 

“Thank you. Colonel Bagley,” said Jim. 

Jim returned to his quarters, and spent a 
large part of the night thinking upon the task 
which confronted him. He knew that if Jacques 
Trouville and his friends were the instigators 
of the savage attacks upon the settlements, he 
would find himself opposed by treacherous and 
determined foes whom it would be difficult to 
overcome. 

Jacques Trouville, known among the Mo¬ 
hawks as Ho-sa-ha-ho, or Big Mouth, was a 
typical representative of the French-Canadian 
Coureurs de Bois,, a set of wild, lawless ad¬ 
venturers who were as wily, savage, and treach¬ 
erous as the warlike Hurons among whom they 
passed their time. Casting off the restraints 
of civilization, they adopted the life and customs 
of their Indian companions; adorning their 
9 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


long black hair with eagle plumes, smearing 
their swarthy faces with bright colored pig¬ 
ments and decorating their buckskin shirts with 
the scalp locks of their foes. Untiring and fear¬ 
less, they penetrated far into the unexplored 
solitudes of the vast northern wilderness; guid¬ 
ing their frail canoes through the treacherous 
rapids of unknown rivers, and following cau¬ 
tiously along the shadowy forest trails that led 
to isolated Indian camps. No hardship was 
too severe, no peril too great for those daunt¬ 
less freebooters of the wilderness. Seated be¬ 
side their solitary camp fires, or accepting the 
hospitality of their Indian allies, they roared 
their rollicking woodland songs and dispelled 
the gloom of the night with their light-hearted 
laughter. Gay, impulsive, and improvident, 
they were true knights of adventure for whom 
the sacredness of home ties had no enticements. 
Loyal and generous to their friends, they were 
vengeful and merciless to their foes; and once 
their hatred was aroused, they were as perilous 
and bloodthirsty as wolves. 

These were the men whom the French fur 
traders had employed to guard the precious 
cargoes of pelts on the long perilous voyages 
along the lakes and rivers of the northland. 
These were the men upon whom the French 
10 



KICHKINET BRINGS A CLUE 


commanders depended to lead their war parties 
of Pottawattomies, Ojibwas, and Hurons against 
the English frontiers. These were the men 
with whom Jim Mason and his rangers were 
about to clash. 

Jim had encountered Jacques Trouville and 
his friends in the Mohawk village two years 
before. In league with one, Pierre La Valle, 
known in the Indian camps as Tor-yoh-ne, The 
Wolf, they were making crafty efforts to turn 
the Mohawks against the English and win them 
to an alliance with the French. Aware of their 
plans, Jim had set to work to expose their 
treachery, and after a number of perilous ad¬ 
ventures finally convinced the Mohawks that 
Tor-yoh-ne was a deceitful Huron spy. 

The following year Jim, in company with 
Holcombe and Kichkinet, again encountered 
Tor-yoh-ne at Ticonderoga, but this time the 
treacherous half-breed was a bit too confident, 
and while attempting to capture them he met 
his death at the hands of Dan Holcombe. 

Both Jacques Trouville and Stockley had 
been loyal friends of the rascally half-breed, 
and Jim felt certain that they would attempt 
to avenge his death. He believed that their bold 
and vicious raids along the English frontiers 
were made more to satisfy their savage desire 
11 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


for vengeance than to aid the French in their 
efforts to demoralize and intimidate the coura¬ 
geous pioneers at the edge of the wilderness. 

The thought roused him. He had witnessed 
the results of those treacherous attacks upon 
the frontiers; the smoking ruins of burning 
cabins; brave men lying dead in the clearings, 
where they had been shot down from ambush; 
the mangled forms of helpless women and chil¬ 
dren who had fallen victims to the murderous 
tomahawks of the maddened Hurons. The 
memories made his blood turn hot with anger. 
He believed that a great opportunity for service 
had presented itself, and he pledged himself 
to complete the difficult task to which Colonel 
Johnson had assigned him. 

^Hf Trouville and Stockley are responsible 
for these atrocities, I shall search until I find 
their trail, and follow it until I run them to 
earth,’’ Jim declared, grimly. 





CHAPTER II 


CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 

AT daylight Jim and his companions set out 
XXupon their four days^ journey to the Mo¬ 
hawk camp. Jim stopped for a moment at the 
gate of the fort to give final instructions to his 
lieutenant, Bert Jackson, a stalwart young 
woodsman from Fort Johnson. 

‘^Keep our men in the woods, and watch for 
war parties from Ticonderoga, ” Jim told him. 

‘‘WeTl keep our eyes open,’’ said Jackson. 
‘Hn the meantime. Captain, watch out for your¬ 
self. Like as not you’ll meet up with some o’ 
those rascals who are raidin’ the western set¬ 
tlements. ’ ’ 

“Nothin’ would suit us better,” Holcombe 
replied, savagely. 

Jim nodded silent assent. 

A moment afterward the three scouts turned 
away. They presented an interesting contrast 
as they moved rapidly along the trail. 

Jim Mason was a tall, athletic young fron¬ 
tiersman of nineteen years, with bold brown 
eyes, long black hair and a dark complexion 
13 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


that gave him somewhat the appearance of an 
Indian. He wore the familiar frontier costume 
of fringed buckskin hunting shirt and breeches, 
Indian moccasins, and a coonskin cap. His 
weapons were a long-barreled flint-lock rifle, 
a tomahawk, and a hunting knife. Powder horn 
and bullet pouch hung at his right side, and 
from his left shoulder was slung a fringed buck¬ 
skin bag containing flint and steel, and various 
necessities for life in the wilderness. His 
blanket was rolled and carried on his back. 

Dan Holcombe was a rawboned, broad- 
shouldered man well advanced in years, but 
with every evidence of strength, agility, and en¬ 
durance. His face was tanned and seamed from 
long exposure to sun and wind, and his long 
hair was plentifully streaked with gray, but the 
calm gray eyes beneath his shaggy brows still 
retained their youthful luster. Holcombe, too, 
wore buckskins and a coonskin cap. He was 
armed with his beloved flint-lock rifle, an Indian 
tomahawk, and a skinning knife. He carried 
his blanket upon his back, and his powder horn 
and bullet pouch hung at his side. 

Kichkinet, who was about the age of Jim, 
was a typical Mohawk warrior with the dignity 
and boldness of his race. His head was closely 
cropped, except for an erect, narrow crest of 
14 





CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


hair which extended back from the center of 
his forehead and terminated in an ornamented 
scalp lock on his crown. His flashing black 
eyes gave character and animation to his stem, 
impassive face. He wore moccasins and buck¬ 
skin breeches, but was bare above the waist. A 
gaudy trade blanket was rolled into a pack be¬ 
tween his shoulders, and below it hung a wolf¬ 
skin case which held his bow and arrows. 
Tomahawk and skinning knife were secured be¬ 
neath his rawhide belt, and a small buckskin 
bag containing his fire sticks hung at his side. 

Jim had met Kichkinet at Fort Johnson two 
years before, and from that day a strong and 
loyal friendship existed between them. Kich¬ 
kinet was the son of Ha-yo-went-ha, a famous 
Mohawk chief, and he had rendered valuable 
assistance while Jim was attempting to win the 
Mohawks for the English. The young fron¬ 
tiersman, and the Mohawk had shared many 
perilous adventures, and each had learned to 
admire the courage and ability of the other. 

The scouts passed around the southern end 
of the lake, and soon came upon the familiar 
trail that led westward toward the village of 
the Mohawks. They followed the trail to the 
top of the first high hill, and then they stopped 
to enjoy the glorious panorama of woods and 
15 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


waters that lay before them. It was a bright 
balmy day in mid-October, and the wilderness 
was resplendent with its gay antumnal tints. 
The sky was blue and cloudless, and a misty 
purple haze hovered above the hills. Below 
them was the great lake, calm and brooding, like 
some rare gem of the wilderness, its placid 
depths reflecting the brilliant colors of the for¬ 
est that rimmed its shores. It extended far 
away into the north where it contracted to a 
narrow twisting stream that led still farther 
northward into the stronghold of the French. 
All about it was the vast primeval wilderness, 
glorious with the vivid coloring of the hard¬ 
woods and the dark, somber beauty of the ever¬ 
greens. The sober brown tones of oaks showed 
forth in striking contrast with the golden leaves 
of aspens and birches and the flaming foliage of 
maples and sumacs. All blended their tints in 
a pleasing harmony of color which transformed 
the landscape into a fairyland. The scouts 
studied it in silent appreciation. It was some 
time before they spoke. 

‘‘This is a glorious time of the year,” said 
Jim. 

“It shore is purty,” agreed Holcombe. 

“It is the time when Ha-wen-ne-yu smokes 
the great Peace Pipe,’’ Kichkinet told them. 

16 



CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


‘ ^ See, he is puffing the smoke over the hills and 
into the valleys to drive away the Evil Ones, 
and make the world good for his children/’ 

Jim nodded. He recalled the Indian legend 
which related how Ha-wen-ne-yu, the Good 
Spirit of the Mohawks, each autumn lighted his 
great Peace Pipe and puffed smoke over the 
earth to drive away fogs and pestilence, and 
bring health and happiness for his children— 
the Mohawks. As Jim studied the smoky haze 
above the hiU tops he suddenly perceived the 
significance of the simple faith which was ex¬ 
pressed in the Indian legend. 

‘‘Dan, our friends the Mohawks, have many 
beautiful thoughts,” he told Holcombe. 

“They’re powerful superstitions,” replied 
Holcombe. 

“What I have told you is true,” Kichkinet 
said, quickly. 

“Come, we must move on,” Jim told them. 

The trail turned down the westerly slope of 
the hill, and followed the edge of a large swamp. 
Then it led away into the silent, dark solitudes 
of the wilderness. It was the highway over 
which the Mohawks had passed for many years 
on their visits to the great woodland lake 
upon which the English had established their 
fort. 


17 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


The Mohawk village was four days’ journey to 
the westward, and the scouts realized that until 
they reached it they would be in constant peril 
of an encounter with their foes. Besides the 
Hurons, the Ojibwas, and the Pottawattomies 
from the northern wilderness, there were rov¬ 
ing war parties of Shawnees and Delawares 
who had been enticed to take the war trail in 
behalf of the French. The powerful Iroquois, 
however, remained faithful in their alliance 
with the English colonists. The tribes of the 
great Indian League were a formidable bar¬ 
rier in the way of the French, who were mak¬ 
ing desperate efforts to sweep it from their 
path. 

The strongly fortified villages of the Iroquois, 
which were scattered through the wilderness 
for many leagues to the westward, offered ef¬ 
fective and invaluable protection to the colonial 
frontiers. If the Iroquois were overcome, the 
French would find an easy and unobstructed 
way to the English settlements. Jim was fully 
alert to the peril. He was eager, therefore, to 
reach the Mohawk camp at the earliest possible 
moment, for he felt quite certain that if Jacques 
Trouville and his companions had gone to the 
Shawnees, as the Mohawks suspected, a peri¬ 
lous plot of some sort was in the making. 

18 



CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


‘^Yes, Jim, if what the Mohawks say is true, 
it looks like Trouville an’ his gang are out for 
mischief,” Dan Holcombe said, soberly. “It’s 
more than friendship that leads ’em to the 
Shawnee camp.” 

“It is bad,” declared Kichkinet. 

At midday they stopped to drink at a little 
mountain stream, and eat a small ration of 
jerked venison which they had brought from the 
fort. Then they continued toward the west. 
Game was abundant, but Jim and Holcombe 
feared to shoot lest the report of a rifle might 
betray them to their foes. Kichkinet, however, 
killed several grouse with his arrows. 

“A quiet trail leads to long life an’ happi¬ 
ness, ’ ’ laughed Holcombe. 

“All appears calm and peaceful,” replied 
Jim. 

“We’ve scarce gone far enough to bump into 
trouble,” Holcombe reminded him. 

At sunset they arrived at a familiar camp 
site, where Jim and his Mohawk scouts had 
camped on their way to Lake George several 
months before. A small spring bubbled up at 
the base of a mossy ledge, and as the spot was 
secluded in a dense stand of timber, they de¬ 
termined to remain there for the night. After 
19 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


a careful reconnaissance to make sure that the 
locality was free of foes, they made a little fire 
of dried sticks and broiled the grouse. 

‘^We’d best get through with the fire before 
dark,’’ cautioned Holcombe. little fiame 

shows up considerable at night. ’ ’ 

Kichkinet nodded. 

A few moments afterward he left them and 
disappeared into the woods. He moved cau¬ 
tiously along the trail over which they had 
come, to learn if they had been followed. It was 
the usual precaution when the Mohawks found 
themselves in close proximity to their foes. 
Darkness had already fallen when Jim and Hol¬ 
combe heard the soft, querulous call of the little 
red owl. They recognized it as a signal from 
Kichkinet. A moment later the Mohawk re¬ 
joined them. 

‘^My brothers, everything is good,” he said. 

‘‘Mebbe so, but we’ll take no chances,” said 
Holcombe. 

‘^Correct,” agreed Jim. Kichkinet and 1 
will watch. ’ ’ 

‘H’ll take my turn,” Holcombe told him. 

‘^No, Dan; Kichkinet and I will keep the 
night watches, until we reach the Mohawks. ’ ’ 

‘‘Lad, you make me feel old,” Holcombe 
laughed, uneasily. “However, I’ll wager I can 
20 




CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


do with less sleep than either of you young 
roosters.’^ 

‘‘I have little doubt of that/’ Jim assured 
him. ^‘In an emergency I shall not hesitate to 
call upon you. ’ ’ 

‘^All right—Captain,” Holcombe said, mis¬ 
chievously. 

‘‘Yes, Mr. Holcombe,” replied Jim. 

“Hi, that’s a quick comeback,” chuckled 
Dan. “Well, good night, Jim.” 

“Good night, Dan,” Jim said, cordially. 
“Now, Mohawk, I will watch; sleep until I call 
you. ’ ’ 

“Good,” agreed Kichkinet. 

Holcombe and Kichkinet drew their blankets 
about them and lay down to sleep. Jim seated 
himself against a massive pine and began his 
lonely vigil. The heavy stand of towering ever¬ 
greens shut out the light from the stars, and 
the forest was black and still. Jim was barely 
able to distinguish the forms of his friends, who 
were lying within bow length of him. It was 
not long, however, before the heavy breathing 
of Holcombe gave evidence that the veteran 
scout was sleeping soundly. The Mohawk was 
silent. 

As the night wore on, and he heard nothing 
to arouse his suspicions, Jim gradually relaxed 
21 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


his vigilance. He listened sleepily to the soft 
soughing of the wind in the pine tops, and his 
eyes grew heavy. Several times he found him¬ 
self nodding drowsily. He rose to his feet and 
spread his arms to rouse himself. At that mo¬ 
ment he caught the sound of a stealthy footfall. 
It was close at hand. Instantly alert, Jim 
seized his rifle and peered anxiously into the 
night. For some moments all was still. Then, 
as he again heard the sound, he moved cau¬ 
tiously toward Holcombe and Kichkinet. Both 
were in their places. Jim touched the Mohawk. 
Kichkinet immediately sat up. A moment af¬ 
terwards Holcombe raised himself. Both kept 
silent, fearing to speak until they learned the 
danger which threatened them. Jim stooped, 
and whispered his warning. 

‘‘Something is moving—^listen,he cau¬ 
tioned. 

Kichkinet and Holcombe slipped from their 
blankets and rose to join him. Then for many 
moments the three scouts stood close together, 
watching and listening for further evidence of 
the mysterious prowler. The sounds had 
ceased. They heard nothing but the soft rus¬ 
tling of the wind in the pines. Still they con¬ 
tinued to listen. It was a long time before they 
ventured to speak. 


22 



CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


‘‘What was it?’’ Holcombe asked, softly. 

“It sounded like some one moving around 
us,” Jim told him. 

He had barely finished speaking when they 
heard a shrill, piercing scream a short distance 
to the northward. They recognized it as the 
hunting cry of the lynx, but there was some¬ 
thing about it that aroused their suspicions. 

“Somethin’ wrong thar, sure,” declared Hol¬ 
combe. 

“Yes, Han, I believe it was counterfeit,” 
agreed Jim. “Mohawk, how do you feel about 
it?” 

“Bad,” said Kichkinet. 

They had little doubt that the cry had been a 
signal. The thought disturbed them. The 
sounds which Jim had heard suddenly assumed 
greater significance. Had some wily scout 
found their camp? The question suggested it¬ 
self to each of them. Holcombe was first to 
speak. 

“Jim, it looks like some one has found us,” 
he said. 

“Listen,” cautioned Jim. 

The lynx cry again echoed through the night. 
This time they felt certain that it was counter¬ 
feit. In a few moments it was repeated. Then 
all was still. Convinced that the call had been 
23 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


a signal, the scouts listened anxiously for a 
reply. Many moments passed. There was no 
response. 

‘‘Dan, what do you make of it?’’ inquired 
Jim. 

“I don’t like it,” declared Holcombe. “That 
lynx cry warn’t genooine, I’m plumb sartin of 
that,** 

“So am I,” said Jim. 

“Then it must have been a signal,” Hol¬ 
combe told him. “You heard some one 
snoopin’ around us. Your ears are sharp, an’ 
you know human footsteps when you hear ’em. 
I’m takin’ your judgment on that, Jim.” 

“It was not an animal,” Jim assured him. 

“It’s quite likely that some French scout was 
pokin’ around these parts an’ saw or smelled 
our fire,” said Holcombe. “After dark he 
prowled over here to find out about it. YTiat he 
saw, we can’t tell. However, I believe it was 
him that made the signal. Thar’s three of us, 
an’ he yelped three times. Sort of looks sus¬ 
picious like, don’t it Jim? Anyway, I believe 
we’d best mosey away from here.” 

“Dan, I believe you are right,” Jim told him. 
“If we have been discovered, it would be folly 
to remain. Mohawk, do you agree ? ’ ’ 

“Achawi, we must go,” replied Kichkinet. 

24 




CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


‘^Pretty soon our enemies will come here to find 
us/^ 

They rolled their blankets and moved silently 
away through the night. Kichkinet led, and 
Jim and Holcombe followed close behind him. 
They had gone barely a bowshot when Kich¬ 
kinet turned from the narrow trail and began 
a detour through the woods. 

‘‘The Mohawk has the right idee,’^ chuckled 
Holcombe. “If our enemies find that weVe 
slipped away from ’em they’ll try to come up 
with us somewhar’ along the trail. Our job is 
to keep far enough from it to fool ’em.” 

“Exactly,” agreed Jim. 

They went a considerable distance toward the 
south before they turned and resumed their 
journey into the west. Then, when the night 
was three fourths gone, they turned back 
toward the trail. It led through a wide, open 
valley with which they were familiar, and at 
daylight they stopped on a low wooded ridge. 
They believed that if foes had attempted to 
overtake them along the trail, they might return 
over the same route when their search proved 
futile. 

“In that case we shall have a look at them,” 
said Jim. 

“You’d best get a few winks of sleep,” Hol- 
25 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


combe told him. ‘‘The Mohawk an' I will do 
the lookin'." 

“All right Dan," laughed Jim. “Call me if 
you see anything interesting." 

“For sartin," replied Dan. 

It was only a few moments until Jim was 
sleeping soundly. Holcombe and Kichkinet 
seated themselves to watch the trail. Shortly 
after sunrise they discovered a company of men 
coming from the west. Kichkinet awakened 
Jim. 

“Achawi, some one is coming," he said. 

They joined Holcombe who was intently 
watching the strangers. There were six in the 
company, and they were Indians. As they ad¬ 
vanced rapidly along the trail in single file, 
Kichkinet attempted to identify them. 

“They are not my people," he said. 

“Then they are enemies," declared Jim. 

“Mohawk, who are they?" Holcombe in¬ 
quired, impatiently. 

At that moment Kichkinet looked anxiously 
toward the top of the ridge. He placed his 
finger across his lips to caution his companions 
to silence. They heard voices. Some one ap¬ 
peared to be approaching along the ridge. The 
scouts sank to the ground and watched a small 
opening in the timber directly above them. 

26 




CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


Holcombe cocked his rifle. Jim shook his head 
and pointed toward the Indians in the valley. 

‘‘I’ll not shoot unless I have to,” Holcombe 
whispered. 

A moment afterward two warriors passed 
swiftly across the little clearing and vanished 
into the timber. Neither Jim nor Holcombe had 
been able to identify them. They looked inquir¬ 
ingly at Kichkinet. He nodded, but kept silent. 
When he felt certain that the warriors had gone 
beyond hearing, he spoke to his alert compan¬ 
ions. 

“Ojibwas,” he said. 

“So those are the bucks who tried for our 
scalps,” Holcombe said, savagely. “Well, I 
guess we’ve slipped by ’em, but I’m wonderin’ 
what they’re doin’ along this trail. “Pears 
like they’re a scoutin’ party sent here to keep 
watch on things.” 

Jim became thoughtful. Having learned the 
identity of his foes, he was attempting to guess 
the reason for their appearance along the trail 
to the Mohawk camp. It was evident that they 
were scouts, and Jim believed they were watch¬ 
ing to intercept couriers who might leave the 
English fort to communicate with the Mohawks. 
That possibility caused him little anxiety, foi: 
he knew that neither couriers nor troops would 
27 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


set out for the Mohawk camp unless he gave 
the order. However, the presence of the Ojib- 
was along the Mohawk trail made him suspi¬ 
cious. 

‘‘Dan, this thing troubles me,’’ he told Hol¬ 
combe. 

“How so, Jim?” Holcombe asked, quickly. 

“I believe these Ojibwas are members of a 
war party that has accompanied Trouville to 
the Shawnee camp,” said Jim. “In that event 
I also believe that Trouville has left these 
scouts along the trail to warn him if troops or 
couriers leave the fort. Dan, if he has done 
that, we may be sure that he is planning further 
mischief, and is eager to make his attack before 
our people learn his intentions. Perhaps he is 
organizing a war party for another raid along 
our western frontiers; perhaps he is planning 
to attack the Mohawks before we can send 
troops to assist them.” 

“I’m a bit uneasy, myself,” replied Hol¬ 
combe. 

“Dan, we must reach the Mohawks without 
further delay,” Jim declared, anxiously. 

“Achawi, your words are good,” said Kich- 
kinet. “I believe my people will tell us what 
we wish to know.” 

A few moments later they hurried away 
28 



CAUSE FOR ANXIETY 


toward the west. Suspicious of Trouville and 
his treacherous confederates, they were eager 
to reach the Mohawk camp where they hoped 
to obtain a clue to the whereabouts and inten¬ 
tions of their troublesome foe. 




CHAPTER in 
THE MOHAWK CAMP 

O N the third day, at the end of another 
cautious detour, Jim and his companions 
came in sight of the river which passed the 
Mohawk camp. The next day they came upon 
a trail which led directly to their destination. 
Shortly before sunset they discovered smoke 
from the Mohawk fires. The long perilous jour¬ 
ney was almost at an end. 

‘‘My brothers, there is the smoke from our 
village,Kichkinet cried, gayly. “Pretty soon 
we will be with my people. ’ ^ 

“I shall be glad to see them,’^ said Jim. 
“An’ they’ll be powerful glad to see you, 
lad, ’ ’ Holcombe told him. ‘ ‘ Unless I’m way off 
on Injun ways, there’ll be some big doin’s in 
your honor.” 

Kichkinet’s eyes twinkled merrily. 

Darkness had already fallen when they finally 
approached the Mohawk camp. Fearful of 
being mistaken for foes, Kichkinet led the way 
toward the high log stockade which surrounded 
30 


THE MOHAWK CAMP 


the village. As he drew near he called out in 
the Mohawk tongue. 

^‘Hi, hi, my friends, here is Kichkinet,^’ he 
called. am bringing our brothers Achawi 
and To-nes-sa-ah. ’ ^ 

The latter name, meaning On-the-watch, was 
the title by which Holcombe was known to the 
Mohawks. The name had been bestowed upon 
him in recognition of his acute vision and his 
remarkable powers of observation. There were 
few, even among the most noted Mohawk scouts, 
who could surpass him in the art of following a 
trail and interpreting the signs of the wilder¬ 
ness. 

Kichkinet aroused the village. The sound of 
his voice brought the dogs rushing noisily 
toward the stockade. Then voices sounded 
above the din, and the dogs were driven back. 
A group of warriors showed themselves in the 
fire light at the entrance to the camp. They 
peered suspiciously into the night, and Kich¬ 
kinet again called to reassure them. 

‘^My brothers, get ready to receive our 
friends,’’ he cried. ^‘Achawi and To-nes-sa-ah 
are coming to see you.” 

‘‘Yes, yes, we know you,” replied the Mo¬ 
hawks. “Welcome, brothers; the door of our 
village is open for you. ’ ’ 

31 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


They shouted the news through the camp. 
Kichkinet and his friends advanced to the stock¬ 
ade, and were escorted into the village. 

Achawi has come; Achawi has come Icried 
the Mohawks, as they ran from the lodges. 

They crowded eagerly about the scouts, 
shouting greetings and singing songs of wel¬ 
come. For the moment restraint and dignity 
were cast off as the Mohawks welcomed the 
young woodsman who had won their confidence. 

‘‘Come, my brothers, we must go to my 
father,’’ said Kichkinet. 

As they walked through the camp, Jim was 
greeted by many old friends, and even the 
women and children shouted his name from the 
doorways of the lodges. Holcombe chuckled 
gleefully. 

“Jim, my lad, you’ve taken your Dad’s place 
with these people,” he said. 

“Dan, I never can take Dad’s place, but I am 
glad they trust me,” Jim told him. 

As they approached the lodge of Ha-yo-went- 
ha, a deputation of famous men came to meet 
them. In the company were Short Dog, the 
uncle of Kichkinet, and Dancing Owl and Little 
Bear and several others equally prominent. 
Most of them had served with Jim in the battle 
at Lake George. 


32 




THE MOHAWK CAMP 


^ ^ My brothers, we are glad to see you here, ’ ^ 
said Short Dog. “Ha-yo-went-ha sent us to 
bring you to his lodge. ^ ’ 

‘‘It is good,’’ replied Jim. 

After an exchange of greetings, they were 
taken to the lodge of the Mohawk chief. Like 
the other lodges in the village, it was a square 
one-storied structure fashioned of slabs of bark 
which were lashed between parallel rows of 
saplings. There was a door but no windows, 
and a square hole in the center of the roof for 
the escape of smoke. The floor was of packed 
earth, with a shallow fire pit in the center of 
the solitary room. A platform of poles ex¬ 
tended along three sides of the lodge and pro¬ 
vided sleeping accommodations for the occu¬ 
pants. Ha-yo-went-ha, and Da-yo-ho-go, the 
Medicine Man, and aged Da-go-no-we-da, the 
grandfather of Kichkinet, were seated beside a 
small fire. 

Ha-yo-went-ha, the Mohawk chief, was a tall, 
slender man of middle age, with strong fea¬ 
tures, steady eyes, and a dignified bearing that 
suggested boldness and power, the essentials 
for leadership among the warlike people who 
had made him their chief. His head was 
adorned with a crown of eagle feathers, a hand¬ 
some pelt of the black bear was drawn about his 
33 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


shoulders, and his limbs were clothed in deco¬ 
rated buckskin breeches. 

Da-yo-ho-go, the Medicine Man, was a deep- 
chested, powerful man who appeared consider¬ 
ably older than the chief. His face was cold and 
unfriendly, and his small shifty eyes denoted 
cruelty and cunning. Both Jim and Holcombe 
had good cause for mistrusting him. He had 
dropped the elkskin robe from his shoulders, 
and the upper portion of his body was deco¬ 
rated with many strange medicine symbols. A 
snake skin head band encircled his brow, and 
a single eagle feather was fastened to his scalp 
lock. He wore buckskin breeches and moccasins 
decorated with porcupine quills. 

Old Da-go-no-we-da was huddled beneath a 
great bear skin robe, and only his aged face was 
visible. It was a face imprinted with the in¬ 
delible record of the years—the ravages of the 
weather, the deep furrows of fatigue and hard¬ 
ship, the honorable scars of battle—all were 
there. The eyes alone still showed evidences 
of life and animation; sunk far back in their 
hollow sockets, they glowed with a weird, 
haunting luster that reminded one of the last 
flickering embers of a dying fire. 

^^My son, I see that you have brought 
friends,’’ Ha-yo-went-ha told Kichkinet. 

34 




THE MOHAWK CAMP 


“My father, Achawi and To-nes-sa-ah have 
come a long ways to talk with you, ’ ’ said Kich- 
kinet. 

The conversation was in the Mohawk tongue, 
which Jim, after two years of diligent and per¬ 
sistent etfort, had finally mastered. Holcombe 
was a fluent talker in the difficult dialect. 

“My brothers, I am glad to see you here,’’ 
Ha-yo-went-ha said, cordially, as he offered his 
hand. 

“Great chief, we are glad to he with our 
friends,” Jim told him. 

Da-yo-ho-go had risen with the chief, hut old 
Da-go-no-we-da still remained huddled beneath 
his robe. He was peering intently across the 
fire in an effort to identify the visitors. 

“Achawi, many moons have passed since you 
went away, but I told my people you would re¬ 
turn,” declared Da-yo-ho-go. “Now you are 
here, and my words have come true. ’ ’ 

At that moment old Da-go-no-we-da called im¬ 
patiently. 

“My brothers, why do you stand so far away 
from me, ’ ’ he inquired, irritably. ^ ‘ My eyes are 
old, and I cannot see you. My ears do not catch 
your words. Who are you? Come over here 
and let me see you.” 

They seated themselves before Da-go-no-we- 
35 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


da. For some moments the aged warrior stud¬ 
ied them in silence. Then he began to shake his 
head and chuckle gleefully. 

‘‘Now I know you/’ he said. “Young man, 
you are Achawi; your father was my friend. 
That other man is To-nes-sa-ah. He is a great 
scout. I have seen him here many times. Tell 
me what brings you here. I hope you have 
brought something good for me. I am old and 
weak, and must have good things to eat. ’ ’ 

“Grandfather, I have brought these fat 
young birds for you,” said Kichkinet, as he 
held a pair of grouse before Da-go-no-we-da. 

“Good, good,” laughed Da-go-no-we-da. 
“Tell your grandmother to cook them for me.” 

“Here is tobacco,” said Holcombe. 

“Good, good,” cried Da-go-no-we-da. 
“Grandson, bring my pipe.” 

“And here is something to keep your hands 
warm, ’ ’ said Jim, as he offered a pair of woolen 
mittens. 

“Hi, hi, Achawi has brought the best thing 
of all,” laughed Da-go-no-we-da, as he drew the 
mittens upon his hands with childish delight. 

They left him and seated themselves on the 
opposite side of the fire to talk with Ha-yo- 
went-ha and the warriors who had escorted 
them to the lodge. Da-yo-ho-go produced the 
36 




THE MOHAWK CAMP 


long stemmed peace pipe which was decorated 
with the tail feathers of the wild turkey. He 
lighted the pipe with an ember from the fire, 
and passed it to Ha-yo-went-ha. The chief 
smoked, and presented the pipe to Jim. Then 
it was given to Holcombe, and after he smoked 
it was passed among the Mohawks. 

‘‘My brothers, we have smoked this pipe to¬ 
gether, and now it is time to talk, ’ ’ said Ha-yo- 
went-ha. “I have called you here to tell you 
about something which troubles me. Do you 
know about itT’ 

“Great chief, Kichkinet has told us how your 
warriors found the tracks of many Indians and 
two '^ite men,^^ replied Jim. “He has told us 
that our enemy Ho-sa-ha-ho and his friends 
were with those Indians. He has told us that 
they were traveling toward the village of the 
Shawnees. Come, Ha-yo-went-ha, tell us what 
you know about this thing. ’ ’ 

“My brothers, it looks bad.’’ 

“Yes, my friend, it looks bad,’^ said Hol¬ 
combe. 

‘ ‘ Great chief, listen sharp to what I am about 
to tell you,’’ said Jim. “On the first night of 
our journey to this village some one circled 
about our camp. Pretty soon we heard that 
person make the call of Je-go-sa-sa, the lynx. 

37 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Three times that call sounded through the 
woods. We believe it was a signal. We said, 
‘That scout is telling his friends about us.^ 
Kichkinet said, ‘if we stay here our enemies will 
come and find us.’ Then we went away. We 
turned from the trail and went a long way 
toward the-place-where-the-warm-wind-blows. 
When the night was far gone, we turned back 
toward the trail which leads to your village. 
When daylight came, we stopped on the side 
of a ridge. Pretty soon we saw some people 
coming along the trail. When they came 
nearer, we saw that they were warriors, but we 
could not tell who they were. Then we heard 
some one coming along the top of the ridge. 
We hid in the bushes, and watched. Pretty 
soon two warriors passed. Kichkinet said, 
‘ Ojibwas. ’ 

“Mohawks, we believe those Ojibwas are 
watching your trail. We believe that Ho-sa-ha- 
ho sent them there to tell him if any of our 
people set out for your village. We believe 
Ho-sa-ha-ho has led a war party to the Shaw- 
nees. We believe he will ask the Shawnees to 
help him. We believe Ho-sa-ha-ho is getting 
ready to strike. Perhaps he will lead his war¬ 
riors to kill our people. Perhaps he will lead 
the Hurons, and Ojibwas, and Shawnees to your 
38 



THE MOHAWK CAMP 


village. My brothers, we have come here to 
find out about this thing. The Mohawks are our 
brothers. If Ho-sa-ha-ho comes to fight them, 
we will help them. If Ho-sa-ha-ho goes to kill 
my people, our brothers the Mohawks must help 
us. How, my friends, I have told you how we 
feel about this thing.’’ 

The Mohawks remained silent. Their sober, 
thoughtful faces gave evidence that they had 
been impressed by the solemn warning. They 
looked searchingly at their chief. Ha-yo-went- 
ha appeared to be meditating upon the words 
of the young frontiersman. For a long time he 
stared thoughtfully at the fire. Scouts and Mo¬ 
hawks waited patiently. At last he spoke. 

‘^Achawi, you have spoken big words,” he 
said. ‘‘I believe what you have told us is true. 
We are trying to find out what Ho-sa-ha-ho pro¬ 
poses to do. Stands Alone and Black Cloud 
have gone to watch near the Shawnee camp. 
Our scouts are sharp. I believe they will find 
out what we wish to know. Then they will tell 
us about it, and we will know what to do. ’ ’ 

‘Ht is good,” said Jim. 

Then Da-yo-ho-go addressed the company. 

‘‘My brothers, this thing looks bad,” he said. 
“If Ho-sa-ha-ho sent the Ojibwas to watch our 
trail, he must be getting ready to do something 
39 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


big. I do not know wliat Ho-sa-ba-ho proposes 
to do, but I will go to my lodge and think about 
it. I will talk with the mysterious Medicine 
People. Perhaps they will tell me about it. 
Then I will tell you what to do.’^ 

Short Dog was the next speaker. 

‘‘Brothers, I do not know what will come of 
this thing, but I will tell you how I feel about 
iV’ he said. “Ho-sa-ha-ho is our enemy. 
Achawi and his people are our friends. If 
Ho-sa-ha-ho leads his warriors against our 
friends, we must go to fight him. We have 
struck the war post against our enemies. We 
have sent the peace belt to our friends. We 
are Mohawks. We will do what we have pro¬ 
posed to do.^^ 

“Yes, we will help our friends,declared the 
Mohawks. 

“Mohawks, I will keep those words in my 
heart; I will tell them to my people,’’ Jim said, 
gratefully. 

Soon afterward Jim and Holcombe left the 
lodge, and Kichkinet accompanied them. They 
went to a small bark house at the other end of 
the camp, which Ha-yo-went-ha had set apart 
for Jim. A fire burned in the fire-pit, and be¬ 
side it sat Skennek, the young brother of Kich¬ 
kinet, whom Jim had befriended several years 
40 




THE MOHAWK CAMP 


before. His face lighted with pleasure at sight 
of Jim. 

‘‘Achawi, my brother!^’ cried Skennek, as 
he seized Jim’s hand. 

‘^Skennek, I am glad to find you here,” re¬ 
plied Jim. 

He opened the buckskin bag which hung at 
his side, and brought forth a new skinning 
knife. 

‘^Skennek, I have brought this knife to you 
so that you may know that I have been think¬ 
ing of you,” Jim told the Mohawk lad. 

Skennek accepted the gift with boyish joy. 
He went to the platform of poles that extended 
along one side of the lodge, and drew some¬ 
thing from beneath an elkskin robe. Approach¬ 
ing with his hands behind him, his eyes twinkled 
roguishly as he confronted Jim. He suddenly 
extended his arms and displayed a pair of deco¬ 
rated moccasins. 

“My grandmother made these, and I fam 
going to give them to you,” he said. 

“My brother, I thank you,” said Jim. 
“When I wear these pretty moccasins, I shall 
feel very proud. When my people ask about 
them, I will say, ‘My brother Skennek gave 
them to me.’ ” 

As they sat beside the fire many Mohawks 
41 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


entered the lodge to talk with them. The night 
was more than half gone when the last visitor 
finally departed. Then, as they prepared to 
sleep, Jim suddenly turned to Holcombe. 

^^Dan, do you believe Trouville is planning 
to attack the Mohawks he asked, anxiously. 

‘‘Bless me, Jim, I wish I could guess,re¬ 
plied Holcombe. “I feel saxtin that Ttou- 
ville is plannin’ to strike, but where an’ when 
he’ll strike I can’t figure out. However, I’m 
hopin’ that Stands Alone an’ Black Cloud will 
guess his plans. When we hear from them per¬ 
haps we’ll know what to do.” 

“Perhaps,” replied Jim. 




CHAPTER IV 
THE WA-SA-SEH 


T he Mohawks were aroused at dawn by 
criers who went about the camp with a 
message from Ha-yo-went-ha. 

‘‘Mohawks, we bring you the words of Ha-yo- 
went-ha,’’ they cried. “Open your ears to re¬ 
ceive them. Ha-yo-went-ha says, ‘This day we 
will welcome our brother Achawi. The door of 
my lodge is open. There is meat over my fire. 
There will be plenty for all. Mohawks, come to 
my lodge to meet your brothers Achawi and To- 
nes-sa-ah. They have come here to talk with 
you. You must bring them good words.’ Mo¬ 
hawks, continue to listen. Ha-yo-went-ha says, 
‘This feast will continue until the sun goes 
down. Then our young men will dance the Wa- 
sa-seh, our great war dance. It will be a great 
event. All must come together to see it. At 
that time you will hear about our fight with the 
Shawnees. You will hear words from our 
brother Achawi. We propose to make Achawi 
our war leader. Mohawks, prepare yourselves 
43 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


for these great ceremonies. All must take part. 
These are the words of Ha-yo-went-ha. ’ 

“Jim, lad, do you hear thatr^ Holcombe 
cried, gayly, as they stood at the doorway of 
their lodge. “The Mohawks plan to give you 
a rousin^ welcome. 

“Dan, I regret the delay,’’ Jim replied, so¬ 
berly. “If Trouville and Stockley are at work 
among the Shawnees, there is little time to be 
wasted on ceremonies. ’ ’ 

“Never fear,” Holcombe said, reassuringly. 
“The Mohawks are too sharp to be caught off 
their guard. They have sent Stands Alone and 
Black Cloud to watch the Shawnee camp, and 
those scouts will bring word the moment Trou¬ 
ville prepares to move. In the meantime the 
Mohawks will rouse the fightin’ spirit of their 
young men with the Wa-sa-seh, or great war 
dance. ’ ’ 

The Mohawks received the words of Ha-yo- 
went-ha with enthusiasm, and the village be¬ 
came the scene of bustling activity. Soon after 
sunrise several fires were lighted before the 
lodge of Ha-yo-went-ha, and the women began 
preparations for the feast. As it was the time 
of the annual hunt the camp was provided with 
an abundance of game, and each household 
offered freely of its store. 




THE WA-SA^SEH 


At midday Kichkinet and Short Dog escorted 
Jim and Holcombe to the lodge of Ha-yo-went- 
ha. They found the entire tribe assembled to 
receive them. It was an interesting and pic¬ 
turesque assemblage, for men, women, and chil¬ 
dren were arrayed in ceremonial attire. The 
chief and an escort of famous tribesmen sat 
apart by themselves, and about them were gath¬ 
ered the warriors. Still farther back were the 
women and children. Even aged Da-go-no- 
we-da had tottered from his lodge to show honor 
to the visitors. Jim and Holcombe were seated 
beside the chief, and as they joined the council 
circle, the Mohawks greeted them with songs of 
friendship. 

‘‘Hi, hi, here come our brothers Achawi and To-nes- 
sa-ah. 

Welcome, brothers, we are glad to see you here. 

You have come a long ways to see us. 

Now you have reached our village and your journey 
is ended. 

Sit beside us, and eat this meat which we have pre¬ 
pared for you. 

We hope you will remain here many days.” 

At the conclusion of the friendship songs old 
Da-yo-ho-go advanced to the fire with the peace 
45 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


pipe. Dancing Wolf, a noted warrior, lighted 
the pipe with an ember. Then for several mo¬ 
ments Da-yo-ho-go putfed smoke toward the 
sky. 

Great Ha-wen-ne-jni, here is sweet smoke 
for you,’^ he cried. ‘‘We have come here to 
meet our friends. We hope it will please you. 
Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, you have sent much game 
to our hunters. Our camp is filled with meat. 
We have brought it here to share it with our 
friends. Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, we hope it will 
please you. Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, continue to 
help us.^’ 

Da-yo-ho-go carried the pipe to Ha-yo-went- 
ha. The chief smoked and passed the pipe to 
Jim. Then it was presented to Holcombe. 
After the guests had smoked, the pipe was 
passed among the warriors. When the last man 
had smoked, Ha-yo-went-ha addressed the com¬ 
pany. 

“My brothers, this is a great day,^’ he said. 
“We have come here to welcome our brothers 
Achawi and To-nes-sa-ah. I have called them 
to my lodge to smoke the pipe of friendship, 
and eat meat at my fire. Mohawks, I have called 
you here to meet them. I hope you have come 
here with good hearts. I hope you have 
brought good words for our brothers.’’ 

46 




THE WA-SA-SEH 


‘‘Yes, yes,’’ cried the Mohawks. 

“It is good,” declared Ha-yo-went-ha. “Now 
before we begin this ceremony, I am going to 
ask our brother Achawi to give you some 
words. ’ ’ 

The Mohawks looked approvingly upon the 
tall young frontiersman who had risen to ad¬ 
dress them. Three years of intimate associa¬ 
tion had convinced those stern warriors of the 
wilderness that Jim, like his father and Colonel 
Johnson, was a man whom they might trust. 
His honesty, loyalty, and courage had been 
tested and found true, and besides Jim had won 
an enviable reputation as a brave and skillful 
leader. 

“Achawi is a man,” the Mohawks told one 
another. 

For some moments Jim studied the great 
company of Mohawks in silence. His eyes 
moved slowly along the circle of warriors, ling¬ 
ering for a brief interval on the stem fearless 
face of each famous veteran of the war trail. 
Jim read an unmistakable message of friend¬ 
ship in each pair of flashing black eyes, and he 
thrilled with pride as he realized that those 
dauntless warriors had accepted him as their 
friend and brother. 

“My friends, your chief has called this a 
47 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


great day—it is true,’’ Jim told the Mohawks. 
‘ ‘ To-nes-sa-ah and I are glad to be here. We 
are glad to see so many friends assembled here 
to meet us. The great wampum belt binds us 
together. It is good. We are brothers. Mo¬ 
hawks, To-nes-sa-ah and Achawi have come 
here for a big talk. Pretty soon we will tell 
you what has brought us here. ’ ’ 

As Jim finished speaking, Ha-yo-went-ha 
called to the women at the fires. 

‘‘Come, women, bring food,” he commanded. 
“Our brothers have come a long way to see us, 
and they are hungry.” 

It was the signal for the opening of the feast, 
and the women moved slowly around the circle 
carrying great iron trade kettles containing 
broth. A wooden ladle was suspended at the 
side of the kettle, and each warrior dipped into 
the broth and drank as much as he desired. 
Then great portions of venison were passed 
among the warriors who immediately drew 
their knives and provided themselves with gen¬ 
erous rations. The feast was continued with¬ 
out interruption, and there appeared to be no 
limit either to the amount of food which had 
been prepared, or the capacity of the Mohawks. 
Jim and Holcombe, however, eventually found 
themselves in an awkward position. Unable to 
48 




THE WA-SA-SEH 


continue eating, they feared that withdrawal 
from the feast might give serious offense to the 
Mohawk chief and his warriors. 

‘‘Dan, I cannot possibly eat more and live 
through it,’’ Jim finally told Holcombe. 

“Tut, tut, lad, don’t insult our friends,” Hol¬ 
combe cautioned, anxiously. “Take small por¬ 
tions an’ eat slow. It’s the only chance of 
holdin’ out to the finish.” 

“Let’s hope it will soon end,” said Jim. 

The sun was far down in the west when Ha- 
yo-went-ha finally rose and raised his hand for 
silence. The Mohawks gave instant attention. 
The feast had come to its end. Jim and Hol¬ 
combe felt relieved. 

“My friends, the day is almost gone,” said 
Ha-yo-went-ha. “It is time to stop eating. I 
am glad to see so many friends sitting about my 
fire. I hope that all have had plenty to eat.” 

“Hi, hi,” responded the Mohawks. 

“It is good,” said Ha-yo-went-ha. “I hope 
that all will go away from my fire feeling strong 
and happy.” 

“Hi, hi,” responded the Mohawks. 

“ It is good, ’ ’ replied the chief. ‘ ‘ Pretty soon 
it will be time for the great ceremony at the 
Council Lodge. We must prepare ourselves to 
take part in it.” 


49 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


After Ha-yo-went-ha had finished speaking, 
Jim again rose to speak. 

‘‘Great chief, before we go from your fire I 
must tell you how we feel about this thing, ^ ^ he 
said. “You have opened the gate of your vil¬ 
lage and asked us to enter. You have shared 
your food with us. You have given us a lodge. 
Your people have sung the friendship songs. 
Your warriors have given us good words. 
Great chief, these things have warmed our 
hearts. We know that the brave Mohawks are 
our brothers. May it ever be so. Mohawks, I 
promise that as long as I live I shall do my 
best to keep the peace belt that binds us to¬ 
gether strong and bright. Achawi has spoken. ^ ’ 

“Hi, hi, Achawi has given us good words,’’ 
cried the Mohawks. “Achawi is our brother.” 

A few moments later the company dispersed, 
and Jim and Holcombe returned to their lodge. 
They were undisturbed until the end of the day, 
when they heard some one singing before their 
door. Drawing aside the door cover, they saw 
Kichkinet and a company of warriors as¬ 
sembled before the lodge. All were painted 
and attired for a ceremony. 

“My brothers, it is time to go to the Council 
Lodge,” said Kichkinet. 

“Now for the big time,” laughed Holcombe. 

50 




THE WA-^SA-SEH 


They went to the center of the village, and 
found the Mohawks assembled about a great 
fire before the council lodge. 

^^Achawi, we are about to begin the great war 
ceremony,’’ said Ha-yo-went ha. ‘‘You must 
watch sharp so that you may tell your people 
about it.” 

He spoke to Da-yo>ho-go, and the Medicine 
Man moved to the fire and lighted the sacred 
Medicine Pipe. He opened a small buckskin 
bag and tossed several handfuls of sweet grass 
into the flames. As it burned, he raised his face 
toward the heavens and made his prayer to 
Areskoui, the war god of the Iroquois. 

“Great Areskoui, here is sweet smoke to 
please you,” he said. “I have lighted the sac¬ 
red Medicine Pipe for you. Great Areskoui, I 
hope you will feel good toward us. I hope you 
will listen to what I am about to say. We have 
come here to do a big thing. Before we go 
ahead with it I must tell you what we propose 
to do. Great Areskoui, you are the great war 
chief. You are the one who gave us power to 
overcome our enemies. Great Areskoui, we 
thank you. You have done many big things for 
us. You have made us stronger than the boast¬ 
ful Shawnees. Great Areskoui, we thank you. 
We know that you wish your children to be 
51 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


strong and brave. It is good. Great Areskoui, 
we know that the war cry is sweet music for 
your ears. We know that you like to hear the 
war drums and the war songs. Great Areskoui, 
you have been good to us, and we \vish to please 
you. Pretty soon our warriors will dance the 
Wa-sa-seh, our great war dance. Then you will 
hear the war cries; you will hear the war 
drums; you will hear the war songs. Great 
Areskoui, you will hear how we overcame the 
boastful Shawnees. Great Areskoui, we hope 
it will please you. 

‘‘Now, Great Areskoui, I will tell you what 
brings us together in this place. A young man 
has come to our village. He is our brother. 
He is a brave warrior. He has done big things. 
He led our warriors in that fight mth the Shaw¬ 
nees. He was very brave. He is a great leader. 
We call this young man Achawi. Great Ares¬ 
koui, we believe you sent him here to help us. It 
is good. Now we propose to make him our war 
leader. Great Areskoui, we hope it will please 
you. Great Areskoui, we hope you will con¬ 
tinue to help us. ’ ^ 

At the end of his appeal Da-yo-ho-go seated 
himself beside the Mohawk chief. The Mo¬ 
hawks were silent. It was some time before 
Ha-yo-went-ha finally spoke. 

52 




THE WA^SA^SEH 


‘‘My brothers, the great war ceremony is 
about to begin,’’ he said. “Pretty soon the 
dancers will appear. Then we will sing the 
war songs. I hope that all will take part so 
that Great Areskoui will hear us. If any of 
you have done anything big you must tell about 
it at this ceremony. Now, my friends, prepare 
yourselves to take part in our great war cere¬ 
mony. ’ ’ 

The Mohawks looked expectantly toward the 
door of the Council Lodge. It was not long 
before they heard the slow, solemn refrain of 
the war song. Then the bear skin robe was 
drawn from the doorway, and the dancers came 
from the lodge. There were thirty in the com¬ 
pany, and each was famous for his exploits on 
the war trail. They made a weird and strik¬ 
ing appearance as they advanced slowly 
through the council circle and assembled about 
the fire. Naked, except for the buckskin breech 
cloth, their faces and bodies were streaked with 
a mixture of charcoal and clay, and their scalp 
locks were ornamented with hawk feathers. 
They wore buckskin anklets and knee bands to 
which were attached deer hoofs which rattled 
musically at each step. Each dancer carried 
his bow and tomahawk. Kichkinet appeared 
to be the leader. 


53 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


When the dancers had assembled, three old 
men came from the lodge with the war drums. 
They, too, were naked, and their bodies were 
streaked with broad bands of red and black. 
They stood within the circle of dancers and ap¬ 
peared to be waiting for Ha-yo-went-ha to ad¬ 
dress them. 

^*My brothers, I see that you are ready to 
begin the Wa-sa-seh,’’ he said. ‘‘I am glad to 
see so many taking part. You look very brave, 
and I know that you are as brave as you look. 
My friends, we have come here to see you dance 
the Wa-sa-seh. I hope you will do your best 
to please us. Now it is time to begin. 

The old men tapped softly on the war drums, 
and the dancers stood at attention. Then, after 
an impressive interval of silence, the musicians 
chanted the opening strains of the war song, 
and the warriors moved slowly about the fire. 
They advanced with short mincing steps, stamp¬ 
ing their feet to shake the rattles about their 
ankles, and keeping time with the beating of the 
war drums. The music was slow and solemn, 
and the dancers conducted themselves with for¬ 
mal dignity. When they had circled several 
times about the fire. Dancing Wolf, one of the 
spectators, struck the ground with a stick and 
announced that he desired to speak. The music 
54 




THE WA-SA-SEH 


ceased, and the dancers stood quietly in their 
places. 

‘‘Friends and relatives, listen to my words 
for I must tell you what is in my heart,’’ cried 
Dancing Wolf. “I am glad to see so many of 
my friends taking part in this dance. I see 
that Kichkinet is the leader. It is good. Kich- 
kinet is a great warrior. I saw him do many 
big things in that fight with the Shawnees. I 
saw him strike down many enemies. I was close 
beside him. That is how I come to know about 
it. 

“Friends and relatives, continue to listen. I 
saw many brave men in that fight. One of the 
bravest was our brother Achawi. He was the 
leader. He stayed out in front. The Shawnees 
tried hard to kill him, but he was too sharp for 
them. Achawi kept calling us to go ahead. We 
followed him until the Shawnees ran away like 
frightened rabbits. I have been in many 
battles. I have followed many brave war lead¬ 
ers, but I have never seen a braver man than 
Achawi. Now I have told you what I have to 
say about that great fight.” 

As Dancing Wolf finished his talk, the musi¬ 
cians began the war chant and the dance was 
resumed. Moment by moment the music grew 
more lively, and the dancers quickened their 
55 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


steps to keep time with the rapid throbbing of 
the war drums. It was not long before the 
solemn dignity of the dance passed, and the Mo¬ 
hawks responded to the stirring appeal of the 
war song. Freed from restraint, they raised 
their voices in the defiant war cry of the great 
Iroquois Confederation, and surrendered them¬ 
selves to the wild antics which characterized the 
war dance. Shouting boastful threats against 
their foes, they capered madly about the fire 
mimicking their exploits upon the war trail. 
There was no further attempt to dance in uni¬ 
son, for each warrior appeared concerned only 
in offering a vivid illustration of his personal 
achievements. All, however, kept time with the 
rhythm of the war song. Their enthusiasm soon 
spread to the spectators, and in a few moments 
the camp was in an uproar. The piercing 
whoops of the dancers, the excited shouts of the 
onlookers, and the fierce barking of the dogs 
rose in a deafening clamor that carried a sin¬ 
ister warning far away into the perilous black 
solitudes of the wilderness. 

While the dance was at its climax, Kichkinet 
suddenly left his place among the dancers and 
rushed to Jim. He led the young frontiersman 
into the center of the circle of Mohawks and 
called upon the dancers to stop. The command 
56 




THE WA-SA-SEH 


instantly bronglit the tumult to an end. Then 
Kichkinet began to speak. 

friends, before we go ahead with this 
thing I must tell you what we propose to do,^’ 
he said. ^‘You all know this man who stands 
beside me. ^ ’ 

‘‘Achawi,’’ shouted the Mohawks. 

‘^Achawi is our friend,’’ Kichkinet told them. 
‘‘Achawi has come here to help us. His words 
are good. What he says is true. Now, my 
friends, we are about to do a big thing for 
Achawi. My father will tell you about it. ’ ’ 

Ha-yo-went-ha and Da-yo-ho-go and Short 
Dog and several other renowned leaders ad¬ 
vanced into the center of the circle and stood 
before Jim. 

‘‘Achawi, you have done many things to help 
my people,” said Ha-yo-went-ha. “Our hearts 
are good toward you. We have made you our 
brother. We have given you a lodge in our vil¬ 
lage. Now we propose to do something better. 
We are about to make you our war leader. We 
believe that Great Areskoui sent you here to 
help us. You must lead us against our ene¬ 
mies.” 

When Ha-yo-went-ha finished speaking, Kich¬ 
kinet brought a headdress of hawk feathers, 
and Ha-yo-went-ha placed it upon Jim’s head. 

57 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Then Da-yo-ho-go fastened a necklace of bear 
claws about Jim’s neck. 

‘‘Achawi, you are as brave as Nya-gwaih, the 
bear, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ That is why I am hanging this 
thing about your neck. You must always wear 
it when you go to meet our enemies. It will 
keep you from harm.” 

Kichkinet came forward with a small wooden 
bowl which contained a mixture of charcoal and 
clay. He dipped his fingers in the bowl and 
streaked Jim’s face with the black symbol of 
war. 

‘‘Mohawks, here stands our great war leader, 
Achawi,” cried Ha-yo-went-ha. 

The Mohawks acclaimed their new leader 
with the ringing war cry of the tribe. Then 
they called upon Achawi to address them. 

“Mohawks, I came among you as your 
friend, and you accepted me as your brother, ’ ’ 
said Jim. “I have lived in your village; I have 
sat in your councils; I have joined you on your 
war trails. Now you have made me your war 
leader. My brothers, I am proud to be the 
leader of the brave Mohawks. Now listen sharp 
to what I am about to tell you. You have made 
me a war leader, but I am also Achawi, He-who- 
settles-disputes. There must be no disputes 
between your people and my people. We must 
58 




THE WA^SASEH 


live as brothers. We must keep the peace belt 
bright and strong. We must help each other 
and stand together against our enemies. Then 
no harm can come upon us. It is the wish of 
your brother the Great White Chief. It is the 
wish of his people. It is the wish of Achawi. 

‘‘Now, my brothers, I will tell you why To- 
nes-sa-ah and I have come to your village. 
Kichkinet has told us that you believe our en¬ 
emy Ho-sa-ha-ho and his friends have gone to 
the Shawnees. It looks bad. We feel troubled 
about it. We have come here for a big talk. 
We must try to find out what Ho-sa-ha-ho pro¬ 
poses to do. Ha-yo-went-ha has told us that our 
brothers Stands Alone and Black Cloud are 
watching the Shawnee camp. It is good. We 
believe those great scouts will soon bring word 
about Ho-sa-ha-ho. Then we will know what 
to do.’’ 

“Achawi is a good leader,” the Mohawks told 
one another. “He speaks like a great chief.” 

A few moments later the war dance was re¬ 
sumed with even greater enthusiasm as the 
warriors danced wildly about their new leader. 
As the dance continued and the excitement in¬ 
creased, many of the spectators joined the 
dancers and even Jim and Holcombe were led 
59 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


into the circle to take part in the ceremony. 
The night was far gone when the celebration 
finally came to an end, and the tired scouts were 
permitted to return to the privacy of their 
lodge. 




CHAPTER V 
A WARNING 

W HEN the scouts came from the lodge the 
following morning they found Kichki- 
net awaiting them. He said that old Da-yo-ho- 
go had called the people to the Council Lodge 
to tell them of a dream in which he had talked 
with the mysterious Medicine People. 

^‘Perhaps Da-yo-ho-go has found out what 
Ho-sa-ha-ho proposes to do/^ Kichkinet said, 
impressively. 

When they reached the Council Lodge they 
found the warriors seated in several circles 
about the council fire. Even the women and 
children had crowded into the lodge and stood 
along the walls in awed silence. Jim and Hol¬ 
combe were invited to sit with Ha-yo-went-ha 
and the foremost men of the tribe. Jim looked 
for Da-yo-ho-go. He was absent. The Mo¬ 
hawks appeared to be awaiting him. 

In a few moments Da-yo-ho-go entered the 
lodge and advanced solemnly into the council 
circle. He had decorated his face and body 
61 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


with strange Medicine Symbols, and about his 
neck he wore a necklace of tokens and charms 
which were believed to give him power over the 
Evil Ones. In his hand he carried the sacred 
Medicine Pipe. He lighted the pipe at the fire 
and puffed smoke toward the earth, the heavens 
and each of the four winds. Then he began the 
Ga-no-dah, or sacred Medicine Song. 

** Great Medicine People, watch over us. 

Great Medicine People, drive away all bad 
things. 

Great Medicine People, help us against our 
enemies. 

Great Medicine People, give us mysterious 
power. ’ ^ 

When he had finished the Medicine Song, 
Da-yo-ho-go opened a small bag and threw a 
handful of sacred herbs into the fire. He held 
his hands in the smoke and pretended to rub it 
upon his body. Having thus fortified himself 
against the power of any evil spirits that might 
have entered the lodge, he began his talk to the 
Mohawks. 

“My brothers, I have called you here to tell 
you what has happened to me,’’ he said. “I 
have talked with the mysterious Medicine 
People. Now listen sharp and I will tell you 
62 




A WARNING 


about it. After the great war ceremony I went 
to my lodge and sat down beside my fire. 
Pretty soon I fell asleep. Then I heard some 
one calling out my name. I looked around, but 
it was dark, and I could not see any one. Then 
that person who had talked to me began to 
sing; 

‘I am 0-da-wa-an-do, the Great Medicine Otter. 

I have come here to talk with my brother Da-yo-ho-go. 
I have come here so that Da-yo-ho-go may help his 
people. 

Come, Da-yo-ho-go, stir your fire and light your pipe.’ 

‘‘When I heard 0-da-wa-an-do singing that 
song, I raked the embers together and threw 
wood on the fire. Then O-da-wa-an-do came 
over and sat down beside me. I passed the sa¬ 
cred Medicine Pipe and O-da-wa-an-do . smoked. 
Then he began to talk. Now my brothers, listen 
sharp while I give you his words. 

“ ‘Da-yo-ho-go, you are a great Medicine Per¬ 
son,’ said O-da-wa-an-do. ‘All great Medicine 
People are brothers. That is why I have come 
here to help you. Your people are in danger, 
but I have come here in time to warn you. Da- 
yo-ho-go, your enemies are about to come 
against you. They are coming from Ha-ga- 
63 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


kwas-ga, the-place-where-the-sun-sleeps. There 
are many warriors. A white man is the leader. 
Da-yo>ho-go, you must call your people to¬ 
gether, and tell them what I have told you. 
Keep the women and children and old people in 
the village. If they go into the woods, your 
enemies may catch them. Tell your warriors 
to watch sharp. Now, my brother, I have 
warned you what is about to happen.^ 

‘‘When 0-da-wa-an-do finished his talk he 
jumped over the fire, and everything was dark 
again. I called after him but he did not speak. 
Then I knew that 0-da-wa-an-do had gone. I 
took a stick and stirred the fire. There was 
nothing left but ashes. Then I went to the door 
of the lodge. I heard the dogs making a big 
noise at the other end of the camp. I said, 
‘O-da-wa-an-do has gone by that place.’ Now, 
my brothers, I have told you about this thing.” 

Da-yo-ho-go ended his story and seated him¬ 
self before the council fire. He sat with his 
head bowed upon his breast, and appeared 
gloomy and depressed. The Mohawks were si¬ 
lent, but there was an angry glow in the eyes 
of the warriors which gave warning that they 
were ready and eager to meet their foes. A 
long interval of silence passed before Ha-yo 
went-ha finally spoke. 


64 




A WARNING 


‘‘My brothers, you have heard the words of 
Da-yo-ho-go,’’ he said. “He has given us the 
words of 0-da-wa-an-do, the Great Medicine 
Otter. Da-yo-ho-go has done a big thing. He 
is a great Medicine Person. Now, my brothers, 
we must do exactly as 0-da-wa-an-do tells us to 
do. Then if Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brothers the 
Shawnees come here, we will be ready for them. 
I believe that our brothers Stands Alone and 
Black Cloud will soon tell us about this thing. 
Then we will know what to do about it. ’ ^ 

Ha-yo-went-ha had barely ceased speaking 
when a shriU cry rang through the camp, and a 
moment afterward an old man appeared in the 
doorway of the Council Lodge, and called out 
excitedly. 

“The great War Bird is flying over the vil¬ 
lage,’’ he cried. “He is making the war cry. 
Come out and see for yourselves.” 

The Mohawks rushed from the lodge and 
looked anxiously into the sky. A white headed 
eagle was soaring directly above the camp. In 
a few moments the bird screamed, and the Mo¬ 
hawks nodded soberly. 

“Yes, it is the war cry,” they said. 

“My brothers, you see that my words have 
come true,” old Da-yo-ho-go cried, boastfully. 
“0-da-wa-an-do has sent the great War Bird 
65 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


to warn ns. See, he is moving toward the vil¬ 
lage of our enemies, the Shawnees.’’ 

The eagle had suddenly turned toward the 
west. The superstitious Mohawks attached 
much importance to the flight of the War Bird. 

‘^The War Bird tells us where to look for 
our enemies,’’ they cried. 

They watched until the eagle finally disap¬ 
peared behind a high hill to the westward, and 
then they began to make plans for the defense 
of the camp. Although neither Jim nor Hol¬ 
combe gave any credence to the dream of old 
Da-yo-ho-go they had no tliought of offending 
the Mohawks by scoffing at their superstitions. 
Besides, the scouts believed that it might be a 
wise precaution to place the Mohawk camp in 
readiness against an attack. At Jim’s sugges¬ 
tion, the women and boys were sent to the river 
to carry a supply of water into the camp. 

“Jim, I sort o’ feel uneasy like, myself, about 
the action of that war eagle,” Holcombe said, 
seriously. “I’m thinkin’ of the time the bird 
flew over our camp when we were with Broken 
Face and his warriors on the march to Fort Du- 
quesne. It sure meant trouble that time, an’ 
plenty of it, an’ I believe it means trouble now.” 

“Dan, you are almost as superstitious as the 
Mohawks,” laughed Jim. 

66 



A WARNING 


‘^Mebbe so, replied Holcombe. 

They were interrupted by the shouts of those 
who had gone to the river, and soon afterward 
Stands Alone, one of the scouts, entered the 
camp. He was wet with sweat and showed evi¬ 
dence of fast traveling. He hastened to the 
lodge of Ha-yo-went-ha, and Jim and Holcombe 
joined the great company of Mohawks that as¬ 
sembled to hear the report of the scout. 

‘‘Stands Alone has found out what we wish 
to know,’^ said Ha-yo-went-ha. “Now he will 
tell you about it. ’ ^ 

“My friends, we must get ready to fight,’’ 
declared Stands Alone. “Ho-sa-ha-ho is lead¬ 
ing a great war party against us. There are 
many warriors. Our enemies the Ojibwas are 
with the Shawnees. Black Cloud stayed behind 
to watch, but I ran ahead to warn you. You 
must decide what is to be done. There is little 
time. Our enemies are traveling fast. Before 
the end of the next sun they will be close upon 
our village.” 

As Stands Alone finished speaking, Ha-yo-ho- 
go rose and began to talk excitedly. 

“Mohawks you see that my words are about 
to come true,” he cried, “I found out about this 
thing and told you about it. I gave you the 
warning of 0-da-wa-an-do. Now I am going 
67 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


to do a big thing. I am going to my lodge to 
smoke the sacred Medicine Pipe and talk with 
the mysterious Medicine People. Do not dis¬ 
turb me. When I have found out what I wish 
to know, I will tell you what to do.’’ 

Da-yo-ho-go left the council circle, and walked 
slowly toward his lodge. Then Ha-yo-went-ha 
addressed the company. 

‘‘My brothers, now we know what Ho-sa-ha- 
ho proposes to do,” he said. “It is as Da-yo- 
ho-go told us. Before the end of the next sun 
our enemies will be here. It is bad. We must 
get ready to fight. We must send scouts to 
keep watch on our enemies. We must close the 
gate of our village. Then we will wait for Ho- 
sa-ha-ho.” 

“Brothers, the words of Ha-yo-went-ha are 
good,” said Short Dog, the uncle of Kichkinet. 
“There is much to be done. We must be quick. 
I am glad to know that Achawi is here. Achawi 
is our war leader. Achawi is too sharp for our 
enemies. I believe that Achawi will know what 
to do. Now I am going to ask Achawi to tell 
us how he feels about this thing.” 

“It is good,” agreed the Mohawks. “We 
will listen to the words of Achawi.” 

“My brothers, the words of Ha-yo-went-ha; 
are good,” said Jim. “We must send scouts to 
68 




A WARNING 


find our enemies. Then when they come here 
we will he ready for them. I believe we will be 
able to keep them out of the village, and drive 
them away. Now, my brothers, I will ask Ha- 
yo-went-ha to choose the warriors who will go 
to watch our enemies.’’ 

Ha-yo-went-ha had difficulty in selecting the 
scouts as almost every man in the tribe was 
eager to enlist in the company. However, the 
chief finally chose Kichkinet, and Stands Alone, 
and Dancing Wolf. Kichkinet was made the 
leader. 

‘ ‘ My brothers, you are about to go in search 
of our enemies,” Ha-yo-went-ha told them. 
‘‘Keep watching them, but do not make a fight. 
Try to find out how many warriors are with 
Ho-sa-ha-ho. When they come near our vil¬ 
lage, you must come back and tell us so that we 
will be ready for them.” 

The Mohawks painted their faces with the 
symbol of war and passed the remainder of the 
day singing the war songs and dancing about 
the war post in the center of the camp. In the 
meantime Jim kept the women and boys at work 
carrying water into the village. Everything 
that would hold water was filled, and the camp 
was provided with a supply sufficient for sev¬ 
eral days. 


69 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Shortly before sunset Kichkinet and his com¬ 
panions left the village. The Mohawks as¬ 
sembled at the edge of the camp and sang the 
war songs. 

‘‘Well, lad, it looks sort o’ like the War Bird 
means what he says,” chuckled Holcombe. 

“Dan, that is foolish superstition,” replied 
Jim. 

“Mebbe so,” said Holcombe. 




CHAPTER VI 
PLANS FOR DEFENSE 

T he following day was one of trying sus¬ 
pense for the Mohawks. At dawn they be¬ 
gan preparations for the defense of their vil¬ 
lage. Protected by a strong guard of warriors, 
the women and boys collected a great quantity 
of dry wood and brush, which was distributed 
in piles through the center of the camp, to be 
lighted if the Shawnees should attack during 
the night. Later in the day sentinels were 
stationed in the woods about the village to watch 
for the approach of hostile scouts, who might 
have left the war party and eluded Kichkinet 
and his companions. Then the great log gate 
was closed and barred, and the Mohawks waited 
for their scouts to bring word of the enemy. 

The younger warriors painted themselves for 
war and paraded noisily about the village, sing¬ 
ing the war songs and shouting fierce threats 
against their foes. The older men, however, 
were calm and serious and appeared to realize 
the peril which threatened them. Having 
learned that the Ojibwas had joined the Shaw- 
71 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


nees, they feared that the combined war party 
would greatly outnumber their own force. The 
thought made them anxious, for they knew that 
their hated foes, the Shawnees, would make a 
determined effort to avenge the defeat which 
they had suffered at the hands of Achawi and 
his Mohawk scouts at the battle of Lake George. 

‘ ^ The Shawnees are very mad; they will make 
a great fight, said Short Dog. 

‘‘Perhaps our brother, Achawi, will call his 
people to help us,’’ proposed Little Bear, a 
noted scout. 

“We will ask Achawi about it,” said Short 
Dog. 

Ha-yo-went-ha called Jim and Holcombe to 
his lodge to discuss the advisability of asking 
aid from the garrison at Lake George. 

“My brothers, To-nes-sa-ah and I have talked 
about it, but we believe it would be foolish,” 
Jim told the Mohawks. “I will tell you how 
we feel about it. It is four sun’s travel to the 
great lake, and four sun’s travel back to your 
village. That is a long time. We do not be¬ 
lieve our people could reach us in time to join 
in the fight. Besides, my brothers, To-nes-sa-ah 
and I are thinking about those Ojibwa scouts 
we found along the trail. Perhaps Ho-sa-ha-ho 
proposes to fool us. We must watch out. Now 
72 




PLANS FOR DEFENSE 


listen sharp while I tell you how we feel about 
this thing. Perhaps Ho-sa-ha-ho is leading the 
Shawnees and Ojibwas against your camp to 
fool my people. Perhaps Ho-sa-ha-ho says, ‘I 
will lead tnis great war party toward the Mo^ 
hawk camp. When the Mohawks see so many 
warriors they will call their white brothers to 
help them. When the soldiers leave the fort 
to help their brothers, the Mohawks, my scouts 
will run ahead and tell me. They will also tell 
my brothers, the Hurons. Then th^ Hurons 
will travel down the great lake, and I will lead 
my warriors through the woods to join them. 
Then we will burn the fort and go far down 
into the country of our enemies. ’ 

‘‘My brothers, this is how To-nes-sa-ah and I 
feel about this thing. My people cannot come 
here in time to help us in this fight, and we be¬ 
lieve it would be foolish to call them from the 
fort. Ho-sa-ha-ho is sharp. We must make 
this fight alone. Then if Ho-sa-ha-ho has set 
his trap to catch my people, he will see that the 
Mohawks were too sharp for him. Mohawks, 
this is how we feel about it.’’ 

“My brothers, the words of Achawi are 
good,” said Ha-yo-went-ha. “What he says 
is true. His people are far away, and there is 
little time. Now I see that they cannot help 
73 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


tis in this fight. Before the night passes I be¬ 
lieve our enemies will be here. If Ho-sa-ha-ho 
proposes to do what Achami has told about 
we will laugh at him. He will see that we were 
too sharp to lead our white brothers into his 
trap. He will see that the Mohawks are strong 
enough to fight alone. My brothers, some of 
you wish to call our brothers, the Oneidas, to 
help us. It is useless. There is not time. Four 
suns must pass before our brothers could reach 
here. I believe the fight will be over before 
that time. Mohawks, we must fight alone. 

‘^Yes, we must fight alone,’’ agreed the Mo¬ 
hawks. ‘‘Our friends cannot come in time to 
help us.” 

The day was more than half gone before old 
Da-yo-ho-go finally appeared from his lodge. 
He claimed to have had another talk with the 
Medicine People, and he asked the Mohawks 
to assemble to hear his words. 

“My friends, I have talked some more with 
0-da-wa-an-do, and have more to tell you,” he 
said, impressively. “It was just as I told you. 
0-da-wa-an-do sent the great War Bird here 
to warn us. 0-da-wa-an-do says that our scouts 
have found our enemies. Pretty soon Kichki- 
net will send some one to tell us about it. 
0-da-wa-an-do says we must watch sharp. He 
74 




PLANS FOR DEFENSE 


says this will be a great fight. He says we must 
keep ourselves shut up in the village. 0-da-wa- 
an-do says he will give our warriors mysterious 
power. He says he will help us against our 
enemies. 0-da-wa-an-do says our enemies will 
try to fool us. He says they will try to draw us 
out of the village. 0-da-wa-an-do says we must 
not try to follow them. He says if we do that, 
many of our warriors will be killed. Now, my 
friends, I have told you the words of 0-da- 
wa-an-do. ^ ^ 

‘ ‘ It is good, ’ ’ cried the Mohawks. ‘ ‘ 0-da-wa- 
an-do will help us. We will overcome our 
enemies.’’ 

The day was near its end when the Mohawks 
suddenly heard the short, husky bark of the 
little gray fox, from the edge of the woods to 
the north of the camp. They listened anxiously 
until the call sounded three times. Then they 
knew it was a signal from one of the sentinels. 

‘‘Some one is coming,” they said. 

Soon afterward Dancing Wolf, one of the war¬ 
riors who had gone with Kichkinet, appeared 
before the barred gate of the camp. As he 
entered the village, the Mohawks crowded about 
him for word of the war party. 

“My brothers, our enemies are nearby,” said 
75 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Dancing Wolf. ‘^When night comes they will 
be close about our camp. It is a great war 
party. What Stands Alone told you is true. 
There are many Ojibwas with the Sha\\mees. 
Their faces are painted black, and they are 
singing the war songs. Shawnee scouts are 
moving ahead. Pretty soon they will meet our 
brothers who are watching out there in the 
woods. Kichkinet and Stands Alone and Black 
Cloud are following the war party. Black 
Cloud was very brave. He was close to the 
Shawnee camp. He has found out some big 
things. Pretty soon you will hear about it. 
Now, my brothers, I will go back and tell Kich¬ 
kinet that you are ready. You must keep watch¬ 
ing. When it grows dark, we will come back. 
Do not open the gate until you hear the call 
of the little gray fox. Then listen sharp. If 
you hear that call three times, you will know 
that we have come.^’ 

Dancing Wolf left the camp and vanished into 
the woods. The Mohawks were anxious and 
serious, as they realized that the hour of peril 
was close at hand. The frightened women and 
children were taken to the lodges in the center 
of the camp. Then Achawi was asked to take 
command. He immediately stationed sentinels 
upon the narrow platform which extended along 
76 




PLANS FOR DEFENSE 


the inside of the stockade. Then he assembled 
the warriors and issued his orders. 

“My brothers, yon have made me your war 
leader, and yon must listen to my words,” he 
said. “We are about to fight our enemies. We 
must be brave, but we must also be cautious. 
No one must leave the camp until I call out to 
do so. If we remain behind these strong logs 
that surround our village, few of us will be 
killed. I do not believe Ho-sa-ha-ho will come 
close to the camp before it grows dark. Then 
we must watch out. Now I will tell you what 
I propose to do. When it grows dark, I will 
send two boys to each lodge, with pine branches 
and water. If our enemies shoot fire arrows 
into the camp, those boys must climb to the 
tops of the lodges and beat out those fire ar¬ 
rows. I will also send two boys to stand beside 
each pile of brush. When I call out, they must 
light those piles of brush so that we may see our 
enemies. Now call the boys, and I will tell them 
what to do.” 

“Achawi is a great leader,” the Mohawks 
declared, approvingly. 

The boys were assembled, and Jim assigned 
them to their duties. Skennek, the young 
brother of Kichkinet, was made the leader. 

“Achawi, I will do as you tell me to do, but 
77 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


I would like to fight the Shawnees/’ Skennek 
said, eagerly. 

‘ ‘ Skennek, you are very brave, ’ ^ Jim replied, 
kindly. 

Having given his instructions, Jim went to 
find Dan Holcombe. He found him in the lodge, 
loading his rifle. He looked up and chuckled 
with boyish enthusiasm as Jim entered. 

‘‘Jim, what are the chances for a fight?’’ in¬ 
quired Dan. 

“Excellent,” laughed Jim. “The report of 
Dancing Wolf has about convinced me that 
Trouville really intends to attack the Mo¬ 
hawks.” 

“I’m sort o’ figurin’ on it, myself,” said Hol¬ 
combe. “However, I can’t guess the reason for 
that kind of a play. ’ ’ 

“Perhaps it is the beginning of a general 
campaign against the Iroquois camps, with the 
idea of opening the way for the French to 
reach the settlements without risking a decisive 
battle at the lake,” suggested Jim. 

“That sounds likely,” agreed Dan. “Well, 
if I can get one crack at Trouville, I’ll wager 
he’ll be missin’ from the attackin’ party at the 
next camp.” 

“Dan, when fighting actually begins, I fear 
it will require a long shot to reach either Trou- 
78 




PLANS FOR DEFENSE 


ville or Stockley,’’ Jim told him. ‘‘They are 
playing for big stakes from the French, and 
they are unlikely to risk losing the reward for 
their efforts by exposing themselves to peril. 
I believe Trouville will send his Indians against 
the camp, while he and Stockley keep well be¬ 
yond danger.’’ 

“Mebbe so,” replied Holcombe. 




CHAPTER VII 
THE ATTACK 

^ sunset Ha-yo-went-ha ordered the usual 



jLX evening fires lighted and called the women 
from the lodges to prepare food. The children 
were reassured and enticed to play about the 
village, and the warriors walked about the camp 
laughing and singing with little evidence of 
anxiety. 

‘^We will fool our enemies,’^ Ha-yo-went-ha 
told Jim. ‘Hf Shawnee scouts are close by, 
they will see the smoke from our fires and hear 
the noise from the camp. They will go back 
to their brothers and say, Ht is good—the fool¬ 
ish Mohawks do not know about us. Come, the 
way is clear.’ ” 

*Ht is good,” replied Jim. 

However, as the evening shadows fell upon 
the camp, the Mohawks prepared themselves 
for the encounter which they believed was close 
at hand. The women and children were sent to 
the lodges, and, while the old men kept up the 
fires, the warriors assembled silently along the 
stockade. Then a sudden hush fell upon the 


80 


THE ATTACK 


village as the Mohawks listened anxiously for 
the signal from their scouts. It was not long 
before they heard the bark of the little gray 
fox before the gate of the stockade. 

‘^Our brothers have come/’ said Ha-yo- 
went-ha. 

When the signal had been repeated three 
times, the gate was opened, and Kichkinet and 
his companions entered the village. The senti¬ 
nels who. had been watching in the woods came 
with them. It was evident that their foes were 
near at hand. 

‘‘My brothers, onr enemies are close by, on 
that side of the camp, ’ ’ said Kichkinet, pointing 
toward the north. “They are waiting out there 
in the woods. The scouts are circling around 
us.” 

“Did the scouts find you?” Ha-yo-went-ha 
inquired, anxiously. 

“No, my father,” replied Kichkinet. “We 
heard them moving ahead, but we kept out of 
sight, and they did not see us.” 

“ It is good, ’ ’ replied Ha-yo-went-ha. ‘ ‘ Black 
Cloud, our brother Stands Alone says you were 
very brave. He says you were close to the 
Shawnee camp. He says you found out some 
big things. Come, Black Cloud, tell us what 
you have found out.” 


81 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Great Chief, I saw Ho-sa-ha-ho in the Shaw¬ 
nee camp,^^ said Black Cloud. “There were 
many Ojibwas with Ho-sa-ha-ho. When it got 
dark the Shawnees and the Ojibwas came to¬ 
gether for a big talk. I crept up close to the 
camp. Stands Alone wanted to go with me, but 
I told him to stay back and watch. Ho-sa-ha-ho 
made a big talk to the Shawnees. He said the 
Mohawks felt very big about that fight at the 
great lake. He said when he heard that so 
many of his brothers, the Shawnees, were 
killed it made him very mad. He said he told 
the Ojibwas about it. He said he asked the 
Ojibwas to come with him to help the Shawnees 
and wipe out the Mohawks. He said the Mo¬ 
hawks did not know anything about it. He said 
many Mohawks had gone away to help their 
white brothers. Yes, Ho-sa-ha-ho told those 
words to the Shawnees to fool them and make 
them feel brave. He said it would be easy to 
break into the Mohawk village. 

“After Ho-sa-ha-ho stopped talking, the 
Shawnee chief talked. He said the words of 
Ho-sa-ha-ho were good. He said he was glad 
to see the Ojibwas in his village. He said they 
would go to fight the Mohawks. 

“Then many Shawnees talked. All of them 
wished to go to fight the Mohawks. Then many 
82 




THE ATTACK 


Ojibwas talked. All of them wished to go to 
fight the Mohawks. Then they began to sing 
the war songs and talk very big. Then I went 
back and told Stands Alone about it. He came 
here to tell you about it. Now our enemies are 
here. It is a great war party. That is all I 
have to say. Now I am ready to fight. 

Black Cloud, what do you believe our ene¬ 
mies propose to do?’’ asked Jim. 

‘^My brother, I believe they propose to wait 
out there in the woods until they believe we 
are asleep,” replied Black Cloud. ‘‘Then they 
will creep up to the village. Their scouts are 
watching close by.” 

While he spoke several owls began to hoot 
somewhere in the woods to the northward of 
the camp. The Mohawks ceased talking, to 
listen. Although the calls were well imitated, 
the Mohawks had no doubt that they were sig¬ 
nals passing between the Shawnee scouts. 

“They’ll hoot louder than that before we get 
through with ’em,” Holcombe told Jim. 

The sounds had ceased, but the Mohawks con¬ 
tinued to listen. Jim sent the boys to their 
posts. The warriors lined the stockade on all 
four sides of the village. A strong force kept 
guard at the gate. 

“They’ll not come yet,” said Holcombe. 

83 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


“They’ll wait until they believe the camp is 
asleep.” 

“At any rate we shall be prepared,” replied 
Jim. 

As they heard nothing further from their 
foes, they felt certain that the signals had been 
made by scouts reconnoitering about the vicin¬ 
ity of the camp. It seemed probable that the 
Shawnees were attempting to learn if sentinels 
were watching beyond the village. It was not 
long, however, before the warriors at the north 
end of the camp heard some one moving cau¬ 
tiously toward the stockade. The dogs began 
to bark furiously, and the prowlers retreated. 
Then for a long time all was quiet. 

“Perhaps Ho-sa-ha-ho is waiting to catch us 
asleep,” laughed Short Dog. 

“He will see that we are not so foolish,” re¬ 
plied Ha-yo-went-ha. 

When the night was half gone, and their 
enemies had failed to attack, the Mohawks al¬ 
lowed the fires to die down. Then, as darkness 
slowly settled upon the camp, they redoubled 
their vigilance. The night hush had fallen upon 
the wilderness, and all was still. The Mohawks 
waited for a warning of their foes. 

“Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brothers are cautious,” 
said Kichkinet. 


84 




THE ATTACK 


‘‘Perhaps they know that we are prepared to 
fight/’ suggested Jim. 

“No,” replied Kichkinet. “They are afraid 
the dogs will hear them. When the dogs quiet 
down, they will come.” 

Soon afterward they again heard an owl to 
the westward of the village. The cry echoed 
weirdly through the night and carried a sinister 
warning to the listening Mohawks. 

“Now watch out,” cautioned Kichkinet. 

The sentinels along the stockade listened 
sharply but heard nothing to warn them that 
their enemies were approaching. The heavens 
were starless, and it was impossible to see be¬ 
yond the camp. The Mohawks realized that it 
would be easy for the war party to reach the 
stockade without being discovered. The possi-^ 
bility kept them in suspense. 

“It is bad,” Ha-yo-went-ha said, uneasily. 

As he spoke, a warning came from the war-^ 
riors who guarded the gate. The enemy was at 
the stockade. 

“Light the fires!” shouted Jim. 

As the boys thrust glowing embers into the; 
dry grass at the bottom of the brush piles, a 
wild bedlam of sounds rose outside the stockade. 
Aware that they had been discovered, the Shaw- 
nees and Ojibwas raised the war cry and 
85 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


stormed the camp. They had surrounded the 
village, and while a company of Shawnees used 
a heavy log as a battering ram against the gate, 
their companions attempted to scale the stock¬ 
ade. Many actually gained the top and were 
preparing to leap into the camp when they were 
struck down by the Mohawks. Then, as the 
flames roared through the brush piles and 
flooded the village with light, the Mohawks were 
able to send a deadly volley against their foes. 
The latter immediately retreated into the 
shadows, and for the moment the attack was 
ended. The Mohawks escaped without loss, 
although two warriors were slightly wounded in 
the hand to hand fight with their foes at the 
top of the stockade. A number of the enemy 
had been killed or wounded, but were carried 
into the darkness by their companions. Having 
so successfully driven oflF their foes, the Mo¬ 
hawks felt more confident. 

‘‘Now Ho-sa-ha-ho knows that we are awake, 
laughed Ha-yo-went-ha. 

Elated at their success, the Mohawks sounded 
their war cry and shouted taunts and threats at 
their foes. The Shawnees and Objiwas replied 
to the challenge, and the night was turned into 
a pandemonium of piercing yells and whoops 
that struck terror into the hearts of the cower- 
86 




THE ATTACK 


ing women and children in the Mohawk lodges. 

‘‘Hi, you Shawnees; hi, you Ojibwas; we 
thought you came here to fight, but we see that 
you are not brave enough to go ahead with it,^’ 
jeered the Mohawks. “Where is your great 
war leader, Ho-sa-ha-ho? We did not see him. 
Did he run away and hide behind a tree ? ^ ’ 
“The Mohawks are like chattering squirrels 
that run to their village when their enemies 
come,’’ shouted the Shawnees. “We are wait¬ 
ing here to see if you are brave enough to come 
out and fight. There is no use holding back. If 
you do not come out, we propose to break into 
your village and kill you. ’ ’ 

“Come, come, we are waiting for you,” 
laughed the Mohawks. 

A moment afterward a number of fire arrows 
fell within the stockade. These fire arrows 
were made by tying dry grass around the shaft 
of the arrow and igniting it before it was shot 
from the bow. Several arrows imbedded them¬ 
selves in the roofs of lodges, but the boys 
climbed up and beat out the flames. As the 
Mohawks were prepared for the peril, their 
enemies soon abandoned the attempt to fire the 
camp. 

“Our enemies see that we are too sharp for 
them,” laughed the Mohawks. 

87 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


In the meantime the war party had suddenly 
become silent, and the taunts from the Mohawk 
camp went unanswered. The Mohawks became 
suspicious. They believed that Ho-sa-ha-ho and 
his war leaders were planning some wily 
stratagem. 

‘‘Perhaps they are waiting for the fires to 
die down,’’ said Kichkinet. 

“It’s likely,” replied Holcombe. 

They had joined the warriors who kept guard 
at the gate. Jim had left them, to make a tour 
of inspection about the camp with Ha-yo-went- 
ha and Short Dog. It was not long before he 
returned and said that everything was in readi¬ 
ness for further attacks. 

“There’ll be no more before daylight,” 
prophesied Holcombe. 

The brush piles had burned low and the bright 
glow was fading from the camp. Dawn was 
close at hand. The Mohawks watched eagerly 
for the light in the eastern sky. 

“Achawi, I believe our enemies are getting 
ready to do something big,” declared Kichkinet. 

“Perhaps,” replied Jim. 

There was no sound from the Shawnees and 
their allies, but the Mohawks felt confident that 
they were keeping grim, silent vigil at the edge 
of the woods. 


88 




THE ATTACK 


daylight they will come/’ said Short 

Dog. 

As a pale gray streak showed in the east, the 
prophecy was fulfilled. A warning shout came 
from the north side of the camp, and a moment 
afterward the war cry rang through the forest. 
The attack appeared to he concentrated on the 
other side of the village, and, as the enemy ap¬ 
peared to he in force, Jim mustered a company 
of warriors and led them to the place of attack. 

‘‘Watch out for a trick,” cautioned Holcomhe. 
“Thar’s too much noise and hullabaloo about 
this attack—believe it’s a trick, Jim.” 

“What do you mean?” Jim asked, anxiously. 

“I believe they’re tryin’ to draw us away 
from the front of the camp, ’ ’ said Dan. 

“Dan, I believe you are right,” cried Jim. 

At that moment they heard the war cry at the 
front of the camp. They looked at each other in 
alarm as the truth flashed through their minds. 
The war party had separated to attack the camg 
at different points. 

“The Shawnees are pounding on the gate— 
we cannot drive them off,” Ha-yo-went-ha told 
them. 

“Dan, rush over there and take command, 
shouted Jim. “I’ll go to the other end of the 
camp and bring some warriors to help you.” 
89 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


When Jim and Ha-yo-went-ha reached the 
north side of the camp they found that the at¬ 
tacking force was composed entirely of Ojibwas. 
They were fighting desperately, and many of 
them had climbed to the top of the stockade. 
Jim saw at once that it would be perilous to 
weaken his force at that point. Leaving Ha-yo- 
went-ha in command, Jim ran to join Holcombe 
at the front of the camp. 

‘‘Jim, lad, it looks like they’re about to break 
in,” Holcombe said, soberly. 

The Shawnees were making desperate efforts 
to batter down the gate of the stockade. They 
had carried forward several great logs which 
they used as battering rams, and it appeared to 
be only a matter of moments before the gate 
would give way and admit them into the camp. 
The force of Mohawks along the stockade had 
been weakened to reinforce their tribesmen at 
the other end of the camp, and although they 
fought valiantly the Shawnees refused to yield 
ground. Holcombe had climbed upon the plat¬ 
form, and was shooting his rifle with telling 
effect. Jim, too, had taken his place on the fir¬ 
ing line beside Kichkinet. Many of the Shaw¬ 
nees were armed with rifles, and the bullets 
whined ominously over the top of the stockade. 
A number of Mohawks had been killed and 
90 




THE ATTACK 


wounded, and Jim realized that the situation 
was serious. 

“Dan, we must drive them from the gate,” 
he said. 

“I^m doin^ my best to thin ’em out,” Hol¬ 
combe replied, grimly. 

The Shawnees held their ground with great 
stubbornness, and it soon became evident that 
they would demolish the gate which protected 
the camp. Alert to the peril, Jim jumped from 
the platform and rallied a strong force of war¬ 
riors at the entrance to the village. 

“My brothers, our enemies are about to break 
in,” he cried. “We must drive them out. Your 
women and children are back there in those 
lodges. Mohawks, you must fight like men. 
Your brothers are holding off the Ojibwas at 
the other end of the camp. You must drive 
back the Shawnees. You all know how we over¬ 
came them at the great lake. Now we must 
overcome them again.” 

“Achawi, we are ready,” declared the Mo¬ 
hawks. 

“Watch out thar!” warned Holcombe. 

As he called the great log gate was battered 
loose from its supports. Yelling triumphantly, 
the Shawnees rushed recklessly into the breach. 
They were met by a volley of arrows that 
91 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


stopped them and threw them into disorder. 
Before they could rally, Jim led the Mohawks 
in a determined attack that drove the Shawnees 
from the stockade. 

‘‘See, we have come out to meet you—^why do 
you run away?’’ the Mohawks called, mock¬ 
ingly. 

Their success was short lived, for the Ojibwas 
had suddenly ceased their attack and circled 
about the camp to join their allies in the attempt 
to fight their way into the village. Encouraged 
by the arrival of the Ojibwas, the Shawnees 
raised the war cry and again rushed upon the 
stockade. The Ojibwas joined in the attack, and 
the Mohawks withdrew into the village and car¬ 
ried with them the logs which the Shawnees had 
used to break in the gate. The gate was raised 
in position and braced with the logs. In the 
meantime Ha-yo-went-ha had brought a com¬ 
pany of warriors from the other end of the 
camp. Many of them climbed to the platform 
inside the stockade, and opened a savage attack 
upon their foes. Fighting from cover, they had 
a great advantage and it was not long before 
the Shawnees and Ojibwas were driven back. 

Having been three times repulsed with heavy 
loss, the Shawnees appeared to have lost heart. 
They withdrew beyond bowshot, and shouted 
92 




THE ATTACK 


threats and insults at their foes, but showed no 
inclination to continue the attack. The Mo¬ 
hawks seized the opportunity to strengthen the 
barricade at the entrance to the camp. 

‘‘It is good,^’ Kichkinet cried, jubilantly. 
“We have beaten off our enemies. Now the 
light has come, and they are afraid to come 
back. ’ ’ 

“Don’t be too sure, Mohawk,” Holcombe told 
him. “I believe the Shawnees have had about 
enough, but the Ojibwas are still full of fight. 
They’ll be anxious to show off before the Shaw¬ 
nees, an’ I figure they’ll take the lead in one 
more try.” 

Jim nodded. 

However, as the Mohawks had cut down the 
forest for a considerable distance about their 
camp, daylight made it impossible for their 
enemies to approach the stockade without being 
seen. For that reason the Mohawks felt con¬ 
fident. They believed that the Ojibwas, as well 
as the Shawnees, might be unwilling to expose 
themselves on open ground in daylight. 

“They will hide in the woods until night 
comes again,” the Mohawks told one another. 

‘ ‘ Mebbe so, ’ ’ Holcombe told Jim. ‘ ‘ However, 
I’m suspicious of the Ojibwas. They’re proud 
93 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


and boastful, an’ I believe they’ll make a big 
play before the Shawnees. ’ ’ 

‘^The odds are now in our favor,” said Jim. 
“Our enemies must realize that.” 

‘ ‘ For sartin, ’ ’ agreed Dan. ‘ ‘ However, when 
two war parties join for a fight each of ’em will 
take big chances just to prove that he’s the 
bravest buck. The Ojibwas have come here to 
help the Shawnees, an’ they’re eager to show 
what they can do. Anyway, that’s how I figure 
it.” 

“Even so, Dan, perhaps they will wait for 
darkness rather than risk heavy loss by attack¬ 
ing in daylight,” said Jim. “We are strongly 
intrenched, and what they failed to do under 
cover of the night they will be unlikely to ac¬ 
complish now.” 

“Jim, as I figure it, everything depends on 
how much boastin’ the Ojibwas have done,” re¬ 
plied Dan. 




CHAPTER VIII 

OFF TO WARN THE FORT 

T he Mohawks kept anxious vigil until long 
after sunrise, but their enemies failed to 
renew the attack. They had withdrawn into 
the forest, and threats and taunts from the camp 
failed to rouse them. The Mohawks wondered 
if Ho-sa-ha-ho and his great war party had 
actually abandoned the siege and departed from 
the vicinity. They had grave doubts. 

‘‘No, my friends, I do not believe they have 
gone away,’’ declared Ha-yo-went-ha. “I be¬ 
lieve they are hiding in the woods to fool us. 
Perhaps they are waiting to see if we send out 
scouts. Then they will try to catch them. My 
brothers, this is how I feel about it.” 

“Mohawks, Ha-yo-went-ha has given you 
good words,” said Da-yo-ho-go. “I gave you 
the words of 0-da-wa-an-do, the great Medicine 
Otter. We must do as he tells us to do. We 
must stay in the village and keep watching. If 
our young men go outside, I believe they will 
be killed.” 


95 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


However, as the day wore on and they neither 
saw nor heard anything of their foes, some of 
the younger Mohawks became impatient. They 
were eager to learn what had become of the war 
party. Many offered to go out and reconnoiter 
through the woods. Ha-yo-went-ha forbade 
them to leave the camp. 

‘‘Young men, you are brave enough, but you 
are also foolish,’’ the chief said, sternly. “I 
believe that our enemies are watching sharp. 
If you try to reach the woods they will see you. 
I believe what Da-yo-ho-go says is true. If you 
go into the woods, I believe you will be killed. 
If our enemies do not come when it grows dark, 
then perhaps you can go and find out what we 
wish to know. Achawi, tell us how you feel 
about it.” 

“My brothers, I believe it would be foolish 
for these young men to leave the camp,” said 
Jim. ‘ ‘ Our enemies are sharp. We must watch 
out. ’ ’ 

The advice was accepted, and the young war¬ 
riors remained in the camp. Then, as there ap¬ 
peared to be little chance of an attack, the Mo¬ 
hawks relaxed their vigilance. Most of the war¬ 
riors left the stockade, and visited the lodges 
to which the dead and wounded had been car¬ 
ried. Nine warriors had been killed, and criers 
96 




OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


went about the village calling out the names of 
those who had died in defense of the camp. As 
each name was called the women and old men 
uttered doleful wails that filled the camp with 
gloom. The relatives and friends of the slain 
warriors pledged themselves to retaliate upon 
their foes at the first opportunity. 

In the meantime Jim had summoned a com¬ 
pany of warriors and set them at work to 
strengthen the gate at the entrance to the camp. 
When the task was completed, Jim and Hol¬ 
combe went to their lodge to rest until night¬ 
fall. 

“Dan, I am becoming a bit suspicious,^’ said 
Jim. 

“How so, Jim?” inquired Holcombe. 

“The inactivity and silence of our enemies 
have set me thinking,” Jim told him. “As you 
say, I believe the Shawnees have had enough 
fighting. Even the Ojibwas have discovered 
that the capture of the Mohawk camp is a far 
more difficult and perilous undertaking than 
Trouville had made them believe. I feel quite 
sure that the Ojibwas, as well as the Shawnees, 
suffered heavy loss in their last attack. As you 
well know, a war party soon loses heart when 
the fight goes against it. I feel certain that 
Trouville was the leader of the combined war 
97 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


party. He has failed to make good his boast. 
His allies have suffered heavy loss. He will re¬ 
ceive the blame for the ill fortune that has be¬ 
fallen his expedition. Dan, under those circum¬ 
stances I believe that Trouville will have little 
chance of persuading his warriors to renew the 
fight. 

‘‘That satisfies us,^^ laughed Holcombe. 

“I am not so certain that it does,^’ replied 
Jim. “Trouville will be anxious to regain his 
prestige as a leader, and overcome the dissatis¬ 
faction of his warriors. Unable to defeat the 
Mohawks, he may lead the war party in a re¬ 
vengeful raid upon the settlements. It is this 
possibility which disturbs me.^^ 

Holcombe nodded. 

“Jim, I hadnT figured it out,^^ he said. 
“Now I see it. It may be as you say. How¬ 
ever, we canT do much guessin^ before night. 
Then, if the Shawnees an’ their friends fail to 
show up, it’ll be purty nigh time to begin wor- 
ryin’. We’ll send out scouts to find out if the 
war party has gone. If it has gone, then we 
must find out which way the trail leads. If it 
turns toward the Shawnee camp, we can rest 
easy. If it leads toward the settlements or the 
fort we’ve got to do some movin’.” 

The day passed without alarm, and shortly 
98 




OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


after sunset the evening fires were lighted and 
the Mohawks made preparations for the long, 
perilous hours of darkness. The last of the 
supply of dry sticks and brush was piled in the 
center of the camp, to be lighted in an emer¬ 
gency, the boys went to their posts and the war¬ 
riors mounted the platform along the stockade. 
A company of famous fighters kept guard at the 
gate. Having made certain that all was in 
readiness, Jim joined Holcombe and Kichkinet 
at the front of the camp. 

^‘Achawi, do you believe our enemies will 
come?^^ inquired Kichkinet. 

‘Hf they have waited in the woods, I believe 
they will come,’’ replied Jim. 

The crackle of the fires and the occasional 
snarls of the dogs were the only sounds in the 
Mohawk camp. The warriors kept silent watch 
at the stockade. The clouds had passed and 
the heavens were studded with stars. The 
feeble light made it possible to distinguish ob¬ 
jects within a short bowshot of the camp. A 
young warrior at the north side of the stockade 
suddenly called a warning, but a moment later 
discovered that he had mistaken a prostrate log 
for the form of a ,foe. 

^‘Dan, if our enemies plan to resume the 
fight, I can see no advantage for them in delay,” 
99 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


said Jim. ^‘They cannot hope to find the Mo¬ 
hawks unprepared. I believe they have left 
the field.’’ 

‘^It begins to look that way,” agreed Hol¬ 
combe. 

When the night was two-thirds gone, the Mo¬ 
hawks decided to send out scouts to reconnoiter 
cautiously in the vicinity of the camp. Most of 
the younger warriors desired to enlist for the 
perilous service, but Ha-yo-went-ha chose only 
men of ripe experience. Black Cloud and 
Stands Alone and Little Bear were chosen. 

^‘My brothers, I have asked you to do this 
thing because I know that you are sharp enough 
to go through with it,” said Ha-yo-went-ha. 
‘Hf our enemies are out there in the woods you 
will be in great danger. I believe you know 
what to do. I hope you will live to return to the 
village. ’ ’ 

Great Chief, we will try to find our en¬ 
emies,” replied Black Cloud. “If our enemies 
catch us, we will try to call out and warn you. 
Do not come to help us. Keep the gate closed. 
If you hear the bark of the little gray fox you 
will know that our enemies have gone. Then 
you can open the gate for us. ’ ’ 

“It is good,” said Ha-yo-went-ha. 

A few moments later the gate was opened 
100 




OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


sufficiently for them to pass through, and the 
scouts left the camp. They hurried away in 
the direction of the river, and within half a 
bowshot they vanished into the night. 

‘‘Our brothers are sharp,’’ said Ha-yo- 
went-ha. “I believe they propose to separate 
at the river. One will stay by the water to 
watch at the front of the camp. His brothers 
will move through the woods on both sides of 
the camp. They will circle around and come 
together at the back of the camp. If they do 
not find our enemies, they will go back to their 
brother. Then they will come here to tell us 
about it.” 

Alert to the peril which threatened their 
scouts, the Mohawks kept anxious watch at the 
stockade. Dawn was close at hand when they 
finally heard the call of the little gray fox at 
the front of the camp. When the signal had 
been repeated three times, the gate was opened 
cautiously and Short Dog called out. 

“Who is there?” he asked. 

Black Cloud replied. A moment afterward 
the scouts entered the stockade. 

“Brothers, we cannot find our enemies, and 
we believe they have gone away,” said Black 
Cloud. 

The Mohawks greeted the announcement with 
101 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


whoops of delight. Jim and Holcombe ex¬ 
changed anxious glances. 

Black Cloud, are you sure about thisT’ in¬ 
quired Jim. 

‘^Yes, my brother,^’ replied Black Cloud. 
stayed at the river to watch the front of the 
camp. Stands Alone went through the woods 
on one side, and Little Bear went through the 
woods on the other side. They will tell you 
about it.’’ 

“My brothers, what Black Cloud says is 
true,” declared Stands Alone. “Little Bear 
went through the woods on one side of the camp, 
and I went through the woods on the other side. 
We circled far back through the woods, and 
looked sharp. We stopped many times to 
listen. There was no one there. My brothers, 
we believe that our enemies have now run 
away. ’ ’ 

“Which way did they go?” Jim asked, 
eagerly. 

“Achawi, we cannot tell that until the light 
comes,” replied Stands Alone. 

“Light the fires!” shouted an excitable 
young warrior. 

“Yes, yes, light the fires,” cried others. 
“We will dance the Wa-sa-seh and sing the war 
songs for Great Areskoui and 0-da-wa-an-do. 

102 




OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


They have helped us to drive away our en¬ 
emies.’’ 

‘‘Tell your young men to wait,” Jim cau¬ 
tioned Ha-yo-went-ha. “We are not sure that 
our enemies have gone. Perhaps they are still 
hiding somewhere in the woods where our 
scouts could not find them. We must be sure 
that they have gone before we burn up our 
wood.” 

“Achawi, your words are good,” agreed 
Ha-yo-went-ha. 

He called out and cautioned the young war¬ 
riors against lighting the brush piles. Then he 
repeated the words of Achawi. They were in¬ 
stantly approved by the older men, but the 
young men appeared impatient. They assem¬ 
bled about a small fire in the center of the camp, 
and sang and danced in celebration of their 
success against their foes. 

In the meantime, as there appeared little 
probability of an attack, Jim and Holcombe 
went to their lodge to talk. Uncertainty as to 
the whereabouts and intentions of Ho-sa-ha-ho 
and his war party kept them in suspense. 

“Dan, when there is sufficient light, we must 
follow the trail,” Jim said, uneasily. 

“Correct,” agreed Dan. 

103 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


When the soft gray light of dawn finally 
drove the night shadows from the woods, Jim 
and Holcombe prepared to set out upon the 
trail of their foes. When the Mohawks learned 
of their intentions they tried to dissuade them 
from their purpose. 

‘‘My brothers, we have driven off our enemies 
and now there is no more danger, ’ ’ said Ha-yo- 
went-ha. “Why do you propose to leave our 
village and risk your lives to follow our en¬ 
emies? I believe it would be foolish, for I do 
not see what good can come of it. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ Great Chief, I will tell you why we propose 
to follow our enemies,’’ said Jim. “We believe 
that the Shawnees and the Ojibwas are very 
mad. Ho-sa-ha-ho told those warriors that it 
would be easy to break into your village. He 
told them that many of your warriors were 
away. He told them that you did not know any¬ 
thing about what he proposed to do. Now the 
Shawnees and the Ojibwas have found out that 
the words of Ho-sa-ha-ho were bad. We believe 
the Shawnees and the Ojibwas have turned 
against Ho-sa-ha-ho. We believe Ho-sa-ha-ho 
will try to do something big to please them. 
Yes, my brothers, we believe that Ho-sa-ha-ho 
may lead the great war party against our peo¬ 
ple. We will follow Ho-sa-ha-ho. If he turns 
104 




OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


toward our people, we must run ahead and 
warn them.’’ 

For some moments the Mohawks considered 
Jim’s words in silence. Then they began to 
talk soberly among themselves. At last Ha-yo- 
went-ha replied. 

‘‘Achawi, we see that your words are good,” 
he said. ‘‘We would like to have you stay here 
in our village, but we see that it is best for you 
to do as you propose. Many of our young men 
wish to go with you.” 

“Kichkinet will go with us,” replied Jim. 
“If we find that our people are in danger, 
Kichkinet will come here and tell you about it. 
Then, my brothers, you must go to help us.” 

“When Achawi calls, we will go,” declared 
the Mohawks. 

The scouts were impatient to be on their 
way, but old Da-yo-ho-go asked them to wait 
and hear his words. 

“Mohawks, our brothers are about to leave 
our camp,” said Da-yo-ho-go. “Before they 
go I wish to give them some words. Now, my 
brothers, listen sharp to what I am about to 
say. When Achawi first came to our village, 
I did not like it. At that time I believed that 
the French were our friends. I listened to the 
105 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


words of Tor-yoh-ne and Ho-sa-ha-ho. They 
talked bad against Achawi and his people. At 
that time I believed that those people killed my 
brother. My heart was bad against the Great 
White Chief and his people. Tor-yoh-ne told 
me those people proposed to drive us from our 
villages and take our hunting grounds. Tor- 
yoh-ne told me that Achawi came here to talk 
against him, and fool us with big words so 
that it would be easy for his people to over¬ 
come us. 

‘‘Now, my brothers, I know that those words 
were not true. I see that Achawi and his people 
are our friends. Achawi has done big things 
to help us. Mohawks, my heart is good toward 
Achawi and his people.’^ 

“Da-yo-ho-go, your words warm my heart,’’ 
Jim told him. “I am glad to know that you are 
my friend. Tor-yoh-ne and Ho-sa-ha-ho tried 
to fool you. Now you know about it. It is good. 
I will tell the Great White Chief and his people 
that Da-yo-ho-go is their friend. They will feel 
good about it. They will say, ‘Da-yo-ho-go is a 
great Medicine Person; he will help us.’ ” 

“Yes, yes, Da-yo-ho-go will help his friends 
and destroy his enemies,” Da-yo-ho-go cried, 
boastfully. “I have mysterious power. You 
106 



OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


all know that Tor-yoh-ne is dead. Pretty soon 
something bad will happen to Ho-sa-ha-ho. 
They have turned against Da-yo-ho-go, and Da- 
yo-ho-go will destroy them. ’ ^ 

When the Medicine Man ceased speaking the 
scouts left the village. Many warriors ac¬ 
companied them into the woods at the easterly 
side of the camp. They found many tracks, but 
it was long after sunrise when Kichkinet finally 
discovered the trail of the war party. It led 
toward the north. They followed it until mid¬ 
day, and then discovered that it turned sharply 
toward the east. 

‘‘It is bad,’’ declared Kichkinet. 

“Dan, I fear they are bound for the fort or 
the settlements,” Jim said, anxiously. 

“We must make sure that it’s not a trick,” 
Holcombe told him. ‘ ‘Mebbe they’ve separated. 
Come, Mohawks, look around and see if you can 
pick up another trail. ’ ’ 

The Mohawks circled through the woods, 
while Holcombe examined the ground for evi¬ 
dence which might prove that the war party 
had separated. He found nothing to confirm 
his suspicions. The Mohawks were equally un¬ 
successful. 

‘ ‘ There are no other tracks, ’ ’ they said. ‘ ‘ Our 
enemies are keeping together.” 

107 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


They followed the trail until sunset, and then 
Jim asked the Mohawks to return to the camp. 
Jim and his companions continued along the 
trail. 

‘‘I believe Trouville plans to attack our peo¬ 
ple, and we must travel fast to warn them,’^ 
Jim told Holcombe. 

‘^Jim, thar’s just one chance to beat ’em,’^ 
replied Holcombe. ‘Hf Trouville plans to sur¬ 
prise our people, he’ll keep well away from the 
Mohawk trail to avoid meetin’ up with scouts 
from the fort. His war party is a big one, 
and they’ll make slow travelin’ through the 
woods. We’ll let ’em go their way, an’ strike 
back for the Mohawk trail to the lake. It’ll 
give us direct an’ easy goin’, an’ by shakin’ our 
legs until well into the night we’d ought to make 
the fort in three days. I figure it’ll take five 
days for Trouville to lead his war party to the 
lake. The warriors are tired an’ ugly, an’ 
they’ll want to stop an’ do a lot o’ talkin’ 
about how brave they were in the fight with 
the Mohawks. We’d ought to beat Trouville to 
the lake by two days. That’ll give the people 
at the fort time to send warnin’ to the settle¬ 
ments. ’ ’ 

^‘Dan, your plan is excellent, and we will fol- 
108 



OFF TO WARN THE FORT 


low it/’ said Jim. “However, we must watch 
out for the Ojihwa scouts along the trail.” 

“Jim, if we meet up with ’em this time, it’ll 
be their turn to watch out, ’ ’ Holcombe replied, 
significantly. 




CHAPTER IX 

WAITING FOR TROUVILLE TO STRIKE 

S HORTLY after sunset on the third day of 
their journey from the Mohawk camp, the 
scouts climbed wearily to the top of the high 
hill which atforded a view of the lake and fort. 
‘‘Thar she is,^’ Holcombe cried, gayly. 

They seated themselves on the bare rocky 
summit of the hill, and for some moments gazed 
silently upon the darkening waters of the great 
wilderness lake that had become the storm cen¬ 
ter in the conflict between the French and the 
English. Smoke was rising from the fort, and 
they saw people moving about inside of the 
stockade. 

“Dan, everything looks natural, and I believe 
we are in time to give warning to the settle¬ 
ments,^^ Jim said, hopefully. 

At that moment they heard the faint, far 
away notes of a bugle. 

“Thar goes mess call, an’ we’re due to be 
late,” laughed Holcombe. 

They rose and followed the trail toward the 
lake. For three days and the better part of two 
110 


WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


nights they had raced along the trail in the hope 
of reaching the fort ahead of Trouville and his 
war party, and they were beginning to feel the 
effects of their exhausting effort. 

‘^Keep a movin’—^we’ll soon he thar,” Hol¬ 
combe called, cheerily. 

The short autumn twilight had faded and 
darkness was fast closing down as they finally 
approached the fort. They were recognized by 
the sentinels, and a moment afterward scouts, 
soldiers and rangers came to meet them. They 
stopped at the gate while Jim talked with the 
young lieutenant whom he had left in command 
of the rangers. 

^‘Jackson, have you seen anything of our en¬ 
emies?” Jim asked, anxiously. 

‘‘Only a few scouts prowlin’ through the 
woods,” replied Jackson. 

“Good,” Jim said, heartily. “Tell Colonel 
Bagley that I have important information for 
him. ’ ’ 

Jackson saluted. 

“By the way. Captain, I have some news for 
you/* he said. “I have to report that Colonel 
Johnson is here. He arrived with an escort last 
night, and is at headquarters with Colonel Bag- 
ley.” 

“I am delighted to hear it,” replied Jim. 

Ill 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘^Inform Colonel Johnson of my arrival, and 
present my respects.’^ 

The ranger saluted, and turned away. 

‘‘My friends, I have great news for you,’^ 
Jim told Holcombe and Kichkinet. “Colonel 
Johnson is here.’’ 

“Couldn’t be better, Jim,” said Holcombe. 

“It is good,” declared Kichkinet. “Now we 
will tell the Great White Chief how my people 
drove away their enemies.” 

Jim cautioned his companions against telling 
of their adventures before he had an oppor¬ 
tunity to report to the commanding oificer at the 
fort. The three scouts went to Jim’s quarters, 
and awaited instructions. It was not long be¬ 
fore the ranger came for Jim. 

“Captain, the Colonel desires to see you,” he 
said. 

Jim hastened to headquarters and found 
Colonel Bagley and Colonel Johnson awaiting 
him. 

“Captain Mason, I am delighted to see you,” 
Colonel Johnson said, cordially, as he rose and 
offered his hand. 

“Thank you, sir, it is good to see you here,” 
replied Jim. “In fact, your arrival at this time 
is most fortunate, as I have news of consider¬ 
able importance. ’ ’ 


112 




WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


Jim turned to Colonel Bagley. 

‘^Colonel Bagley, shall I report?’^ he asked. 

‘‘Eeport, Captain,’’ replied the officer. 

‘‘Gentlemen, I have to report that Jacques 
Trouville has attacked the Mohawk camp with 
a great war party of Shawnees and Ojibwas,” 
said Jim. ‘ ‘ He was driven off with considerable 
loss, and has turned this way with his war 
party. We fear that he has planned an attack 
against either the fort or the settlements, and 
we have hastened here to give warning of his 
approach. There is little time, as Trouville and 
his war party left the Mohawk camp four days 
ago.” 

“Well, well, this rogue Trouville is growing 
bold,” said Colonel Bagley. 

Colonel Johnson nodded. 

“Our first concern is to get warning to the 
settlements,” declared Colonel Bagley. “We 
must send couriers at once. Captain Mason, 
send your rangers. The settlements to the west¬ 
ward are most exposed, but we must warn all, 
including those along the Mohawk as far as Fort 
Johnson. If Trouville has become so bold, we 
cannot tell where he may strike. Colonel John¬ 
son, do you approve?” 

“I do,” Colonel Johnson replied, heartily. 

“Captain Mason, send your men at once, and 
113 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


then return and give us further details,” said 
Colonel Bagley. 

‘‘Very good, sir,” replied Jim. 

He left the officers, and instructed Jackson to 
assemble the rangers. Then Jim selected six 
of the most experienced woodsmen and sent 
them to warn the settlements. After the men 
had gone, Jim returned to headquarters. 

“ The men have gone, sir, ’ ’ Jim told Colonel 
Bagley. “I cautioned those who have gone to 
the western settlements to keep sharp watch 
for Trouville and his warriors. I also in¬ 
structed them to advise us at once if there is 
certainty of an attack. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ Good, ’ ’ said Colonel Bagley. 

Jim then gave a complete description of the 
fight at the Mohawk camp. The officers listened 
attentively, and it was apparent that Trouville’s 
bold and unexpected attack caused them con¬ 
siderable anxiety. They remained silent for 
some moments after Jim had finished his re¬ 
port. Colonel Johnson was first to speak. 

“It seems unlikely that Trouville will attempt 
an attack upon the fort, and yet it would be 
foolish to feel too confident,” he said. “We 
must take proper precautions. However, my 
real concern is for the western settlements. I 
114 



WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


sincerely hope that our scouts will he in time 
to warn them/’ 

‘‘Those settlers have grown extremely cau¬ 
tious, and it is probable that they are keeping 
a sharp watch for such an emergency, ’ ’ Colonel 
Bagley replied, hopefully. “In the meantime I 
shall take the necessary precautions here at 
the fort.” 

He called an orderly who was on duty out¬ 
side the door. 

“Ask Captain Bradford to come here,” he 
said. 

In a few moments the officer who commanded 
the militia at the fort arrived in response to 
the summons. 

“Captain Bradford, we have learned that 
Trouville and a large war party of Shawnees 
and Ojibwas have made a daring, but unsuccess¬ 
ful, attack upon the Mohawk camp,” Colonel 
Bagley told him. “Four days ago Trouville 
and his war party set out in this direction. Cap¬ 
tain Mason fears that Trouville may plan to 
attack either the fort or the settlements. It 
seems quite probable. We have already sent 
scouts to carry a warning to the settlements. 
I also wish to take necessary precautions here 
at the fort. Captain Bradford, I desire you to 
make certain that all is in readiness for an at- 
115 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


tack. Post sentinels outside of the stockade, 
and double the guard at night until you receive 
further orders. The rangers will reconnoiter 
in the woods, so that there will be little danger 
of Trouville^s approaching without our knowl¬ 
edge. However, keep your men off the lake, 
and post a strong guard to prevent the seizure 
or destruction of the canoes and bateaux. Cap¬ 
tain Bradford, these are your instructions; 
please put them into effect at once. ’ ^ 

“I shall do so, sir,’^ replied Captain Brad¬ 
ford. 

The militiaman immediately withdrew, and 
soon afterward Jim also took leave of his su¬ 
perior officers, and went to his quarters. He 
found Holcombe and Kichkinet sleeping 
soundly. Both awakened, a moment after he 
had entered the room. 

^‘Friends, come with me; I have found food,’’ 
Jim told them. 

‘‘Lead us,” cried Holcombe. 

They joined a detail of scouts who had just 
returned from the woods and were being served 
with late mess at one of the fires. In reply to 
Jim’s questions they said they had seen nothing 
to indicate that either the French or their In¬ 
dians were anywhere in the vicinity of the fort. 
They appeared curious to learn what had 
116 




WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


aroused his suspicions, and, having reported to 
Colonel Bagley, Jim told his story to the crowd 
of men who immediately assembled about the 
fire to hear the details of the fight at the Mo¬ 
hawk camp. They listened with breathless in¬ 
terest until the account was finished, and then 
they began to discuss the possibilities. 

‘‘As I figure it, Trouville is more likely to 
attack the settlements,’’ declared Jack Craw¬ 
ford, a noted scout from Fort Johnson. 

“Yes; he’ll find easier pickin’ there than at 
the fort,” prophesied a militiaman. 

“You can’t tell; these French war parties 
are likely to strike whar you least expect ’em,” 
replied a ranger. ‘ ‘ How about it, Dan ? ’ ’ 

“I’ve no idee,” said Holcombe. 

Hews of Trouville and his war party brought 
a thrill into the monotonous lives of the men 
at the fort, and they continued talking until far 
into the night. However, long before the dis¬ 
cussions were ended the three tired scouts left 
them and returned to Jim’s quarters. 

On the following day the rangers left the 
fort at dawn and went far up the lake to seek 
evidence of the war party. When they returned 
at night they reported that they had seen noth¬ 
ing of their foes. 


117 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


^‘Dan, do you believe Trouville has gone to 
the settlements?’^ Jim asked, fearfully. 

‘^It looks a bit suspicious,” Holcombe told 
him. ‘‘He’s had plenty o’ time to get here, 
an’ he’s failed to show up. He’s turned oif 
somewTiar, that’s plumb sartin. However, if 
he’s gone to the settlements, we’ll soon hear 
about it. Anyway, I’m hopin’ our scouts got 
thar first.” 

They spent the day in considerable suspense, 
waiting for word of Trouville and his war 
party. They knew that several days must pass 
before they could learn the fate of the settle¬ 
ments, but if Trouville and his warriors were 
approaching the fort, it seemed probable that 
the scouts would learn of it before night. How¬ 
ever, when the night finally passed, and the war 
party failed to appear, Jim was perplexed. 

“Dan, what do you make of it?” he asked 
Holcombe. 

The scout shook his head. 

“Mohawk, how do you feel about it?” in¬ 
quired Jim. 

“Achawi, six suns have passed since the war 
party left our village,” replied Kichkinet. 
“Your scouts have watched sharp, but they 
cannot find our enemies. I do not believe they 
are coming here.” 


118 




WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


For a moment or so Jim considered the pos¬ 
sibility in silence. Then he again turned eagerly 
to Kichkinet. 

^ ‘ Mohawk, do you believe Ho-sa-ha-ho and his 
warriors have gone to the settlements?’’ he 
asked. 

^^It looks bad,” said Kichkinet. 

At sunset two of the scouts returned and re¬ 
ported that the settlements nearest to the fort 
had been warned and were prepared for an 
attack. However, as there had been little fear 
of an attack upon those settlements, the report 
failed to relieve the suspense of the men at the 
fort. As Trouville had failed to appear, they 
feared that he had turned aside to attack the 
western frontier. It was the sole topic of con¬ 
versation, as the men assembled in little groups 
to discuss the possibility. All waited eagerly 
for the return of the scouts who had gone to 
warn the isolated communities to the westward. 

‘^Even with the best o’ luck, it’ll be another 
day before they can get here,” declared a 
ranger. 

‘Hf Trouville and his gang are holdin’ tight 
about the settlements, it’ll be no easy job to 
get here at all,” prophesied a militiaman. 

wish they’d seen fit to ’tack the fort,” de¬ 
clared a younger soldier. 

119 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Aye, lad, we all wish laughed a scout. 

“They might a lamed somethin^ replied 
Holcombe. 

“1^11 warrant it,^^ agreed a soldier. 

The next day the scouts again moved far up 
the lake, and upon their return reported that 
they had discovered several fresh moccasin 
tracks, but had been unable to follow the trail. 
The news caused great excitement at the fort. 
The fact that hostile scouts were reconnoiter- 
ing within half a day’s journey of the fort re¬ 
vived the possibility of an attack. 

“Mebbe Trouville is bold enough to fight us, 
after all, ’ ’ said a militiaman. 

“Not unless he’s been reinforced from the 
north,” replied a ranger. 

“That’s an idee,” said Crawford, the scout. 
“Mebbe Trouville an’ his gang have joined up 
with another war party from Ticonderoga. ” 

The possibility renewed the discussion, and 
it was late when the talk finally ceased. Jim 
and Holcombe took little part in the council. 
However, when they returned to Jim’s quarters 
they began to talk. 

“Dan, do you believe Trouville is coming to 
the fort?” inquired Jim. 

“Thar’s no proof—yet,” Holcombe told him. 
“One or two fresh moccasin tracks mean little 
120 




WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


at this time. It’s likely the French are watchin’ 
us, same as we’re watchin’ ’em. They send 
their Injuns down here to snoop around through 
the woods, an’ make sure that we’re not movin’ 
up the lake to attack Ticonderoga. However, 
Jim, it might be that those tracks were made 
by Trouville’s scouts, but I doubt it. His only 
chance agin’ the fort would be to strike quick 
an’ spring a surprise. He’s held back too long 
to do that now. Jim, I’m more worried about 
the western settlements.” 

Jim nodded. 

Late the following day their fears were con¬ 
firmed, when the scouts returned to the fort and 
reported that Pine Gap, an isolated settlement 
along the western frontier, had been attacked 
by Trouville and his war party. Fortunately, 
however, the scouts had arrived before the at¬ 
tack, and the settlers had an opportunity to 
withdraw into the block house, or log fort, which 
was the usual rendezvous in times of peril. 
Finding the settlers prepared to resist them, 
the Shawnees and Ojibwas became cautious, 
and confined their efforts to burning two cabins 
at the edge of the woods, and a grist mill a 
short distance from the fort. 

Then the war party withdrew toward the 
north. The settlers escaped without loss, but a 
121 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


number of Indians were killed by the rifle fire 
from the fort. 

‘‘Well, Jim, our warnin’ did some good after 
all,” laughed Holcombe. 

“Dan, I am overjoyed at the escape of our 
people, ’ ’ replied Jim. ‘ ‘ Trouville has again led 
the Shawnees into a losing fight, and I believe 
it will greatly weaken his influence with the 
tribe.” 

While they were talking a militiaman ap¬ 
proached and reported that Colonel Johnson 
desired to see Jim at once. 

“Jim, when the Colonel calls, it usually means 
business, an’ I’m figurin’ we’ll soon be on the 
move agin,” said Holcombe. 

When Jim arrived at headquarters, he found 
the officers at the fort assembled for a confer¬ 
ence. Colonel Johnson presided. 

“Captain Mason, I desire to commend you 
and your fellow scouts for your timely warn¬ 
ing which alone averted a massacre at Pine 
Gap,” Colonel Johnson told Jim. 

Jim saluted. 

“We are gratified at the failure of the at¬ 
tack, but we are also greatly incensed at this 
latest outrage upon our people,” continued 
Colonel Johnson. “We have little patience with 
this barbarous method of warfare, but we 
122 




WAITING FOR TROUVILLE 


realize that it will continue while Trouville and 
Stockley are able to elude us. Therefore, we 
are determined to put an end to the activities 
of those rogues without further delay. As you 
know, Captain Mason, we have good reason for 
believing that Trouville and his band have es¬ 
tablished a secret rendezvous somewhere in the 
northern wilderness. We must learn where it 
is. Then, I believe, we shall be able to surprise 
and capture them. 

‘ ^ Captain Mason, you have already been com¬ 
missioned to devote your etforts to Trouville 
and his outlaws. You have made an excellent 
start by thwarting him both at the Mohawk 
camp and at Pine Gap. We feel confident that 
your further efforts will eventually eliminate 
him as a menace to our frontiers. With that 
happy result in mind, sir, I now request you 
to strike the trail of Trouville and his war party 
and follow him to his hiding place. If you are 
successful in finding it, I feel certain that you 
will make the most of your opportunity. I 
shall give no instructions or recommendations 
as to how you shall proceed in this matter. Cap¬ 
tain Mason, we desire the elimination of Trou¬ 
ville and his confederates, and the manner of 
accomplishing that task will be left to your, 
own good judgment. If you require troops they 
123 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


will be sent to aid you. In the meantime we 
shall await with entire confidence the result of 
your undertaking.’’ 

‘‘Colonel Johnson, I shall do my best,” Jim 
said, quietly. 

“I feel certain it will be sufficient,” replied 
Colonel Johnson. 

Jim soon took leave of the officers and 
hastened to his quarters. Holcombe looked up 
inquiringly as Jim entered the room, but Kich- 
kinet concealed his curiosity. 

“My friends, at dawn we will set out upon 
the trail of Trouville, and his war party,” Jim 
told them. 

“I figured it,” chuckled Holcombe. 

Kichkinet kept silent, but there was a mo¬ 
mentary flash in his eyes that betrayed his 
emotion. 


124 




CHAPTER X 
THE SEARCH BEGINS 

S HORTLY after dawn Jim awakened the 
quartermaster, and procured the necessary 
supplies for the journey into the northern wil¬ 
derness. He also obtained a buckskin shirt for 
Kichkinet. 

‘‘My brother, here is a shirt to keep you 
warm,’^ he said. 

“It is good,’^ replied Kichkinet. 

A few moments later they left the fort and 
set out on their search for Trouville and the 
war party. Having learned that Trouville had 
gone toward the north, they believed that by 
traveling directly toward the west they would 
eventually cross his trail. They circled the 
southern end of the lake, and again climbed the 
high hill. Then they stopped for a moment to 
look back at the fort. The balmy October days 
had passed, and the woods were becoming 
brown and bleak. A cold wind blew from the 
north, and the lake was dotted with white caps. 
A flock of geese passed noisily overhead. 

125 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Thar’s a sign of cold weather,” prophesied 
Holcombe. 

Kichkinet nodded. 

They turned down the hillside and followed 
the Mohawk trail toward the west. At the end 
of the day they stopped at the little spring 
where they had passed the first night on their 
previous journey to the Mohawk camp. It was 
the place where they had heard the mysterious 
prowler circling about their camp, and they de¬ 
termined to take proper precautions. How¬ 
ever, as they had seen nothing more of the 
Ojibwa scouts they felt somewhat reassured. 
They were provided with several days’ rations 
of jerked venison and camp biscuits, and it 
was unnecessary to make a fire. 

“This time we’ll keep things dark,” proposed 
Holcombe. 

“It will be safer,” agreed Jim. 

Kichkinet left them and reconnoitered about 
the camp. When he returned he said that he 
had found no indications of enemies. 

“That’s good so fur as it goes,” chuckled 
Holcombe. “However, even a Mohawk can’t 
find tracks until they’re made. Everything 
looked safe last time, but some one came 
snoopin’ around here later an’ upsot aU our 
calculations.” 


126 




THE SEARCH BEGINS 


‘‘Dan, I believe it will be wise to move away 
from the trail before we settle down for the 
night, ’ ’ said Jim. ‘ ‘ This spring is a well known 
camp site, and if enemies are in the vicinity, 
they may come here to look for us. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ That’s good figurin \ ’ replied Dan. ‘ ‘ I was 
about to propose it, myself.’’ 

“My brothers, it would be foolish to stay 
here,” declared Kichkinet. 

They left the spring and moved farther back 
into the woods until they found an open spot 
in a little grove of spruces. It was well con¬ 
cealed and oifered shelter from the wind, and 
they decided to make it their camp site for 
the night. Jim proposed that he and Kichkinet 
would keep the night watch, but Holcombe in¬ 
stantly objected. 

“Jim, if I’m growin’ too old for such work, 
then I’d best go back to the settlements to sit 
with the old women at the fires,” Dan said, 
irritably. 

“Dan, if you feel that way about it, I shall 
never make the proposal again,” Jim told him. 

“Good,” replied Dan. 

It was decided that Jim should keep the first 
watch, Kichkinet the middle watch, and Dan the 
last. The night was almost ended when Jim 
127 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


and Kichkinet were suddenly awakened by Hol¬ 
combe. 

‘‘Listen to ^em/^ he said. 

They heard a weird medley of sounds far to 
the westward. Once thoroughly awake, they 
quickly recognized the noise in the distance. 

“Wolves,’’ said Jim. 

‘ ‘ Correct, ’ ’ replied Holcombe. ‘ ‘ Jim, they’ve 
set me wonderin’. Mebbe they’re on the trail 
of Trouville an’ his warriors.” 

“Do you believe they would attack at this 
season?” Jim asked, doubtfully. 

“No, I don’t mean that,” said Dan. “What 
I’m thinkin’ is that the Injuns may have killed 
deer or elk and left a carcass or two along the 
trail. Mebbe the wolves have found ’em.’^ 

“Dan, the possibility is worth investigating,” 
replied Jim. 

“So I figure,” said Dan. 

The sounds soon subsided, but the scouts re¬ 
mained awake until daylight. Soon afterward 
they left the camp site and continued along the 
Mohawk trail. They had carefully estimated 
the direction and distance of the sounds which 
they had heard during the night, and they be¬ 
lieved that the wolf pack had been at least a 
half day’s journey toward the northwest. 

128 




THE SEARCH BEGINS 


‘‘We’d best follow along the trail a ways, 
an’ then strike north,” proposed Holcombe. 

They moved cautiously along the trail until 
midday, and then they turned toward the north. 
Soon afterward they decided to separate so that 
they might cover a wider area in their search 
for the trail of the war party. Jim continued 
toward the north, while Dan moved farther 
toward the west, and Kichkinet turned toward 
the east. They agreed to meet at a small wood¬ 
land pond at sunset. 

“It ought to be plumb ahead of you, Jim, if 
you keep straight into the north,” Holcombe 
told Jim. 

“I’ll find it, Dan,” Jim said, confidently. 

He traveled steadily toward the north until 
the end of the day, and then, having found no 
evidence of his foes, he climbed to the summit 
of a low ridge to look for the little lake which 
Holcombe had designated as the meeting place. 
He saw it a short distance farther toward the 
north. As the sun had already disappeared be¬ 
hind a low bank of clouds, Jim left the hilltop 
and made his way toward the rendezvous. He 
circled cautiously about the lake to look for 
tracks, but found only the fresh trails of deer 
and elk. Convinced that the woods were free 
129 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


of foes, he went to the edge of the water and 
seated himself in the bushes to watch. The 
sun had gone down, and Jim believed that his 
friends would soon join him. It was not long 
before he heard the notes of the white-throated 
sparrow, about a rifle shot farther along the 
shore. When the song ended abruptly, he 
recognized it as a signal from Kichkinet. Jim 
imitated the notes, and in a short time Kichkinet 
joined him. 

‘^You are here—it is good,’’ said Kichkinet. 

^‘Mohawk, have you found signs of our en¬ 
emies?” Jim asked, eagerly. 

‘‘No,” replied Kichkinet. “I looked sharp, 
but I did not see anything. ’ ’ 

“I saw nothing,” Jim told him. 

‘Perhaps To-nes-sa-ah will find them.” 

Jim nodded. 

The sunset glow had faded from the sky, and 
the twilight shadows were reaching out across 
the water. Darkness was close at hand. Jim 
felt somewhat anxious about Holcombe. He 
wondered what had delayed him. 

“To-nes-sa-ah should be here,” he said. 

“Perhaps he has found our enemies,” replied 
Kichkinet. “Pretty soon he will come.” 

However, as night finally closed down, and 
Holcombe failed to appear, Jim’s anxiety in- 
130 




THE SEARCH BEGINS 


creased. Kichkinet, however, showed little con¬ 
cern. 

‘‘To-nes-sa-ah will come,’’ he said. 

Several times they were deceived by deer and 
elk which came to the shore of the lake to 
drink. Once they heard the moose call far away 
to the northward. However, there was no sig¬ 
nal from Holcombe. 

^‘Mohawk, the night is half gone, and To-nes- 
sa-ah has not come, ’ ’ Jim said, uneasily. ‘ ‘ I am 
troubled about it.” 

*‘To-nes-sa-ah is a great scout,” Kichkinet 
assured him. ‘‘Perhaps he is waiting to find 
out something.” 

Jim felt doubtful. He believed that Holcombe 
would have come to tell them if he had found 
the trail of the war party. 

“Kichkinet, I beheve something bad has hap¬ 
pened to To-nes-sa-ah, ” Jim declared, at 
last. 

The Mohawk failed to reply. Jim believed 
that Kichkinet was attempting to conceal his 
anxiety. For a long time they sat in silence, 
hoping each moment to hear the signal from 
their friend. They heard an owl hooting in the 
timber at the other end of the lake, but they de¬ 
cided that the call was genuine. They kept 
anxious watch until the night finally passed, and 
131 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


dawn flushed the sky. Then Jim resolved to 
act. 

‘‘Mohawk, we must find out what has hap¬ 
pened to To-nes-sa-ah,^’ he said. “Come, we 
will go and look for his trail.’' 

“Wait,” counseled Kichkinet. “If we go 
away from here, perhaps To-nes-sa-ah will 
come. If he does not find us here he will not 
know what to make of it. Achawi, you must 
wait here for To-nes-sa-ah. I will go to look for 
him.” 

“It is good,” said Jim. 

Kichkinet left him and set out toward the 
west. Jim seated himself at the edge of the 
lake, and attempted to solve the mystery of 
Holcombe’s disappearance. A number of 
startling possibilities came into his mind. At 
first he refused to consider them. He told him¬ 
self that Holcombe was safe, and would soon 
arrive at the lake. However, as the day wore 
on Jim began to lose confidence. He waited 
impatiently for the return of Kichkinet. At 
last he heard the familiar signal. 

“Come, my brother,” he called. 

As Kichkinet joined him it was evident that 
something was wrong. The serious face and 
troubled eyes of the Mohawk warned Jim that 
his fears were about to be confirmed. 

132 




THE SEARCH BEGINS 


‘‘Achawi, it is bad/’ Kichkinet said, solemnly. 
‘‘Our enemies have caught To-nes-sa-ah.” 

“I feared it,’’ Jim said, sadly. “Mohawk, 
tell me about it. ’ ’ 

“I went over there toward the-place-where- 
the-sun-sleeps,” said Kichkinet. “Then I 
turned back toward the trail that leads to our 
village. Pretty soon I found some fresh tracks. 
I looked sharp. They were moccasin tracks. 
Our enemy Ho-sa-ha-ho does not wear moc¬ 
casins. It would be easy to find his track. I 
looked for it. It was not there. I followed those 
tracks back a long ways. Then I found the 
place where the wolves had been feeding. I 
found the ashes of a fire at that place. I moved 
around that place a long time. Then I fol¬ 
lowed the tracks back this way. Pretty soon I 
found a fresh track. It was bigger than the 
other tracks. To-nes-sa-ah makes big tracks. 
I said, ‘Here is the track of To-nes-sa-ah!’ I 
kept watching that track. Pretty soon I came 
to a place where the bushes were all tramped 
down. I moved around that place many times 
and looked close. I said, ‘There was a fight at 
this place. Perhaps those warriors caught To,, 
nes-sa-ah.’ Pretty soon I saw that it was true. 
See, my brother, this is how I came to know 
about it.” 


133 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Kichkinet thrust his hand inside the bosom of 
his shirt, and produced a fragment of fringed 
buckskin which appeared to have been torn 
from a shirt. He passed it to Jim for inspec¬ 
tion. Jim recognized it at once. 

‘‘Yes, my brother, this tells us what has hap¬ 
pened to To-nes-sa-ah,’’ he said. 

For some moments he studied the fragment 
of buckskin in silence. The capture of Holcombe 
was a crushing blow, and Jim found it difficult 
to conceal his emotions. For the moment he 
appeared bewildered and dazed. He feared that 
if Holcombe had fallen into the hands of Trou- 
ville and the Shawnees there was little chance 
to save him. The thought suddenly roused 
him, as he realized that there was not a mo¬ 
ment to spare. He turned excitedly to Kich¬ 
kinet. 

“Mohawk, our brother is in danger; we must 
save him,’’ he said, resolutely. 

“Achawi, I am ready,” replied Kichkinet. 

“We must strike the trail of Ho-sa-ha-ho and 
his war party and follow it until we come up 
with them,” proposed Jim. “Come, Mohawk, 
lead me to that trail.” 

Kichkinet appeared perplexed. He shook his 
head. 

“My brother, I do not believe that Ho-sa- 
134 




THE SEARCH BEGINS 


ha-ho and his warriors had anything to do with 
this thing,he said. 

Jim stared at him in amazement. Having 
felt certain that Holcombe had fallen into the 
hands of Trouville and his war party, he was 
at a loss to understand the words of Kichkinet. 

Mohawk, if Ho-sa-ha-ho and his warriors 
had nothing to do with this thing, then who car¬ 
ried otf To-nes-sa-ahr’ 

‘^Achawi, I believe the Lenapes or the Hurons 
carried away onr brother,’’ declared Kichkinet. 

‘‘Why do you believe that?” inquired Jim. 

“The tracks told me about it,” Kichkinet 
assured him. “The tracks told me that only a 
few warriors passed that way. Ho-sa-ha-ho and 
his white brother were not with them. Those 
warriors left fresh meat behind them. A war 
party would not do that. No; they would be 
afraid that their enemies would find out about 
it. Achawi, I do not believe the warriors who 
caught our brother were with the big war party. 
I believe they are hunters. I believe they are 
Lenapes or Hurons. They are going straight 
ahead toward O-ta-wa-ga, the Cold Place. If 
we travel fast, I believe we will soon come up 
with them. Then we will find out who they are, 
and what they propose to do with our brother.” 

“Come,” Jim cried, eagerly. 

135 



CHAPTER XI 


ANXIOUS HOURS 

T he possibility that Holcombe had been cap¬ 
tured by other foes than Trouville and the 
Shawnees revived Jim’s drooping spirits. Al¬ 
though he feared that either the Delawares or 
Hurons might eventually condemn their captive 
to death, nevertheless Jim hoped that there 
might be sufficient delay to afford opportunity 
for a rescue. 

‘‘Mohawk, if what you say is true, perhaps 
we can save To-nes-sa-ah, ” he told Kichkinet. 
The Mohawk nodded. 

They hurried away toward the west, and 
shortly before sunset they arrived at the place 
where Kichkinet had left the trail earlier in 
the day. Soon afterward they found the re¬ 
mains of a small campfire, and they felt quite 
certain that Holcombe and his captors had 
passed the night at that spot. 

“If we had only known about it,” Jim said, 
regretfully. 

They continued along the trail until darkness 
136 


ANXIOUS HOURS 


finally compelled them to stop. Then they sat 
down to discuss the possibilities. 

‘ ‘ Mohawk, if these warriors passed the night 
back there where we found the ashes of that 
fire, they cannot be very far ahead of us,’’ said 
Jim. 

‘Mt is true,” agreed Kichkinet. 

‘‘Then it would be foolish to wait here until 
daylight,” declared Jim. “Perhaps ‘we can 
find their camp. To-nes-sa-ah is in great dan¬ 
ger. We must go. ’ ’ 

“It is good,” replied Kichkinet. 

They rose, and moved away toward the north. 
For a long time they traveled in silence, watch¬ 
ing eagerly for the glow from a fire. At fre¬ 
quent intervals Kichkinet stopped, and sniffed 
the air. Jim knew that the Mohawk was search¬ 
ing the wind for a trace of smoke. They were 
unable to find a clue, and when the night was 
half gone, they decided to stop. 

“Achawi, we must turn around and go back,” 
said Kichkinet. “Perhaps these warriors have 
turned off. If we keep going ahead, we will be 
far away from them when the light comes. ’ ’ 

“It is true,” replied Jim. 

They turned about and returned to the place 
where they had left the trail. It was almost 
daylight when they found the landmark which 
137 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Kichkinet had kept in mind. As they had no 
reason to suspect that foes were anywhere near, 
they crawled beneath the drooping branches of 
a large spruce and soon fell asleep. At day¬ 
light Jim was awakened by Kichkinet. 

‘^My brother, the light has come,’’ he said. 

They loitered long enough to eat a ration of 
dried venison, and then, after they had found 
a small spring close by, they again set out to 
follow the trail. It was not long before it 
turned, and led directly toward the east. 

‘^They are going to Ticonderoga, ” said Jim. 

A short distance farther on they found the 
spot where the unknown warriors had spent the 
night. Kichkinet closely examined the ground. 
When he had finished he held up six fingers. 

‘‘Six warriors?” Jim asked him. 

Kichkinet nodded. 

“How do you know that?” 

“My eyes tell me,” said Kichkinet. 

He stooped and beckoned for Jim to ap¬ 
proach. Then he traced an indistinct, almost 
imperceptible, depression in the leaves. 

“I believe To-nes-sa-ah was lying in that 
place,” he said. “See, a warrior was on this 
side of him, and another warrior was on that 
side.” 

As Kichkinet traced the indistinct forms with 
138 




ANXIOUS HOURS 


his fingers, Jim was able to see them. Then 
Kichkinet moved a bow length away. 

‘‘Three warriors slept here,’^ he said. 

Eaieeling and closely examining the ground, 
Jim again saw the evidence which the skillful 
Mohawk had been quick to discover. 

“Here is where one warrior sat up to watch,’’ 
explained Kichkinet. 

A short distance away at the base of a tree 
a small cluster of plants had been flattened to 
earth, and a bow length in front of them the 
leaves had been stirred from their place. Kich¬ 
kinet explained that the watcher had sat with 
his back against the tree, and that the restless 
moving of his feet as he raised and lowered 
his knees had displaced the leaves. 

“Kichkinet, the Mohawks are great scouts,” 
Jim said, admiringly. 

Having learned the number of Holcombe’s 
captors, Jim followed Kichkinet along the trail 
with fresh hopes. He believed that it would be 
necessary for the warriors to pass at least one 
more night on the trail, and he hoped to over¬ 
take them before they reached Ticonderoga. 

“Mohawk, perhaps we will come up with them 
before the day passes, ’ ’ he said. 

“We must travel fast,” replied Kichkinet. 

At midday, however, the Mohawk lost the 
139 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


trail on a bare rocky track of ground upon 
which even his sharp eyes were unable to find 
a clue. He circled carefully about the spot but 
was unable to find a track. Then he went back 
until he again found the trail, and attempted 
to follow it, but again lost it on the dry, barren 
ground. 

‘ Ht is bad, ’ ^ Kichkinet said, irritably. ‘ ^ Ach- 
awi, now I know why these warriors came up 
this way. This hard ground goes a long ways. 
They crossed it to hide their tracks. Perhaps 
before they leave it they will turn off some 
other way. If they do that, it will be hard to 
find them.’’ 

Jim was in despair as he realized that delay 
might cost the life of Holcombe. 

‘‘Mohawk, we must find them,” he told Kich¬ 
kinet. 

Kichkinet kept silent. For some moments he 
continued to stare at the baffling tract of rock 
strewn ground which defied his skill. Jim 
waited impatiently for him to speak. 

“Achawi, there is only one way to find out 
about this thing,” he said, finally. “Perhaps 
these warriors have gone straight ahead—per¬ 
haps they have turned off some other way. We 
must be sure about it. I will go along one side 
of this bad place, and you must go along the 
140 




ANXIOUS HOURS 


other side. We must circle far back until we 
get to the end of this rocky ground. If those 
warriors have turned off, we will find their trail. 
If we do not find it, we will know they have 
gone straight ahead. We will come together 
at the end of this rocky ground. Travel fast, 
and look sharp, my brother. ’ ’ 

“It is good,” replied Jim. 

They separated, and Kichkinet began a wide 
detour toward the north, while Jim turned 
toward the south. Jim went a considerable dis¬ 
tance before he finally reached the end of the 
barren ground, and then he turned eastward. 
He had entered a great forest of pines, and the 
ground was comparatively free of undergrowth 
and covered with a heavy layer of pine needles. 
Jim saw that it would be easy to find the tracks 
of his enemies if they had turned in that direc¬ 
tion. For a long time he followed rapidly along 
a game trail. He saw countless tracks of deer 
and elk, and at a marshy spot he discovered the 
fresh footprints of a bear. Game of all sorts 
appeared to be abundant, but Jim had little 
interest. His thoughts were of Holcombe and 
the possibilityof rescuing him from his perilous 
predicament. When the game trail turned 
sharply toward the south Jim left it, and con¬ 
tinued toward the east. Then he suddenly heard 
141 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


the sharp, startling report of a rifle. It had 
sounded far to the eastward. 

‘^What has happened?’’ Jim asked himself, 
uneasily. 

When he heard nothing more, he hastened 
directly toward the spot where he expected to 
meet Kichkinet. He found the Mohawk await¬ 
ing him. 

/‘Mohawk, did you hear a shot?” Jim asked 
anxiously. 

Kichkinet nodded. 

“These warriors are foolish,” he laughed. 
“They have told us where to find them.” 

“Do you believe they fired that shot?” 

Kichkinet nodded. 

“Come,” he said. 

He led the way into the timber and pointed 
toward several fresh moccasin tracks. One 
which appeared considerably larger than the 
others was in the center of a little patch of bare 
ground. 

“To-nes-sa-ah is sharp,” laughed Kichkinet. 
“He steps in the open places so that we can 
follow his tracks. ’ ’ 

Kichkinet appeared greatly encouraged by 
the discovery of the trail. However, he showed 
little interest in the rifle shot, which caused Jim 
great uneasiness. 


142 




ANXIOUS HOURS 


‘‘Mohawk, I am troubled about that shot,^’ 
Jim said, anxiously, as they hurried along. 
“Perhaps To-nes-sa-ah has made a fight.” 

Kichkinet shook his head. 

“To-nes-sa-ah could not do that,” he said. 
“These warriors took away his weapons and 
tied his hands.” 

“That is true,” agreed Jim. 

A still more alarming possibility suggested 
itself. Had the warriors suddenly found reason 
for putting their captive to death? Jim grew 
weak at the thought. 

“Kichkinet, do you believe these warriors 
have killed To-nes-sa-ah?” Jim asked, fearfully. 

“No, my brother,” replied Kichkinet. 

“Then what do you make of that rifle shot?” 
inquired Jim. 

“I believe our enemies have killed game,” 
Kichkinet told him. “It is good. They will 
stop to eat. Then we will come up with them. ^ ’ 

Once on the trail, the young Mohawk followed 
it without difficulty. Several times he stooped 
and pointed out indistinct footprints which he 
declared had been made by Holcombe. Then as 
the day neared its end, he became more cau¬ 
tious. 

“Achawi, we are getting close to our en¬ 
emies, ’’ he said. “We must watch out. ’’ 

143 




CHAPTEE XII 
A DARING RESCUE 

E ncouraged by the possibility of over¬ 
taking their enemies before night passed, 
Jim and Kichkinet followed eagerly along the 
trail. They believed that the hunters would 
camp where they had killed their game, and 
Kichkinet declared that the spot was not far 
away. 

‘‘Pretty soon we will come up with them,’’ 
he said, confidently. 

“Good,” replied Jim. 

They moved cautiously along the trail until 
the end of the day, and then Kichkinet stopped 
to test the wind which blew gently from the 
east. In a few moments he nodded and turned 
eagerly to Jim. 

“Smoke,” he said. 

At that instant Jim, too, detected the tell¬ 
tale odor on the breeze. It was evident that the 
camp fire was nearby, and Jim’s pulses quick¬ 
ened at the thought. The eyes of the Mohawk 
flashed triumphantly. Then they suddenly 
realized their peril, for they feared that at any 
144 


A DARING RESCUE 


moment one of the warriors might return along 
the trail and discover them. In that event they 
felt certain that Holcombe would he killed with¬ 
out further delay. 

‘‘We must move away from here,’’ Kichkinet 
said, uneasily. 

They turned from the trail and went a how- 
shot to the northward. Then they sat down to 
watch and listen. Twilight was fading, and 
night was close at hand. The smoke odor had 
subsided. They heard nothing from their foes. 

“We will wait here until it grows dark,” said 
Kichkinet. ‘ ‘ Then we will go to find the fire. ’ ’ 

“It is good,” replied Jim. 

They watched silently while twilight slowly 
gave way to darkness. Then Jim grew im¬ 
patient and eager to begin the perilous advance 
upon their foes, but Kichkinet cautioned him to 
wait. 

“We must wait until these warriors feel sure 
that no one is about,” he said. 

When a third of the night had passed, he 
said it was time to go. They returned to a large 
dead pine which marked the spot where they 
had left the trail. Then they stopped to listen. 
They heard voices, a short distance to the east¬ 
ward, and smelled the smoke from the fire. 

“Come,” whispered Kichkinet. 

145 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Aware that at any moment they might en¬ 
counter their foes, they advanced with great 
caution. They had not gone a bowshot when 
Kichkinet suddenly stopped, and drew Jim to 
him. 

‘^See, there is the light from the fire,^’ he 
said. 

Jim saw a bright glow a short distance ahead 
of them. A moment afterward Kichkinet re¬ 
sumed the perilous advance. They approached 
within easy bow range of the fire, and then they 
again stopped to watch and listen. The camp 
was in a dense stand of timber, and although 
they saw the flames flickering between the trees 
they were unable to see the warriors whose 
voices sounded plainly through the night. 

‘^Can you tell who they are?^^ Jim asked, 
eagerly. 

“No,’^ replied Kichkinet. 

Eager to identify the warriors who had cap¬ 
tured Holcombe, they determined to approach 
still closer to the fire. Fearful that the slight¬ 
est sound might arouse the suspicions of their 
foes, they advanced with the alert, silent caution 
of the lynx. After each step they stopped and 
peered anxiously between the trees in an at¬ 
tempt to see the fire and the warriors who sat 
about it. At last they discovered them. As 
146 





A DARING RESCUE 


Kichkinet had guessed, there were six. Hol¬ 
combe, however, was not among them. The 
discovery filled Jim with alarm. 

^‘What has become of To-nes-sa-ah?’’ he 
asked. 

‘‘Wait,’’ replied Kichkinet. 

Before Jim could reply the Mohawk had gone. 
Jim waited in torturing suspense, while he at¬ 
tempted to guess what had happened to the 
famous scout. The mysterious rifle shot sug¬ 
gested two possibilities. Jim believed that 
either Holcombe had escaped from his foes, or 
they had killed him. For several reasons Jim 
was forced to believe that the latter possibility 
was more probable. If Holcombe had escaped, 
Jim felt quite certain that the warriors would 
have taken more precautions in making their 
camp for the night. Besides, he felt equally 
certain that if Dan had secured possession of 
his rifle, at least one of the warriors would have 
been missing from the company about the fire. 

“I believe they have killed him,” Jim mur¬ 
mured, disconsolately. 

Then despair suddenly gave way to anger, 
and a savage desire for vengeance swept into 
his heart. His eyes flashed threateningly as he 
resolved to retaliate upon the foes who he be¬ 
lieved had taken the life of his friend. 

147 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘If they have killed Dan, I shall take a Mo¬ 
hawk vengeance upon them,^^ Jim pledged 
himself. 

At that moment Kichkinet returned as sud¬ 
denly as he had departed. Jim was unaware 
of his approach until he heard him speak. 

“Achawi, our brother is alive,’’ he said, 
softly. 

For several moments joy kept Jim silent. 
Then his fears vanished, and a great hope en¬ 
tered his heart. 

“Mohawk, those are great words,” he said. 
‘ ‘ Tell me how you know this. ’ ’ 

“I saw To-nes-sa-ah lying on the ground,” 
Kichkinet assured him. “He is over there be¬ 
hind those little trees. That is why we cannot 
see him. His hands and feet are tied.” 

“Who are the people who captured him?” 
Jim inquired, eagerly. 

“Ojibwas,” Kichkinet told him. “I believe 
they are the scouts who were watching along the 
trail to our village.” 

“Those rascals appear eager to get into a 
fight with us,” Jim replied, savagely. “Per¬ 
haps this time we will accommodate them.” 

“Achawi, there is little time to spare,” Kich¬ 
kinet told him. “Now everything is good for 
us. If we wait, perhaps it will be too late. To- 
148 




A DARING RESCUE 


nes-sa-ah is lying over there by himself. It 
will be easy to creep up close to him. Then 
we will make the war cry and rush in to fight. 
You must run up to To-nes-sa-ah and cut him 
loose. I will fight off the Ojibwas. Come, my 
brother, we must be quick. ’ ’ 

‘‘I am ready,’’ Jim replied, calmly. 

They moved cautiously toward the place 
where Kichkinet had seen Holcombe. When 
they had covered half of the distance, they 
dropped upon their hands and knees and crept 
slowly toward the cluster of little trees. As 
they finally reached them, they saw Holcombe. 
He was less than two bow lengths away, lying 
quietly upon his back. Jim’s heart beat wildly 
as he looked upon the form of his friend. Hol¬ 
combe appeared to be bound and helpless. Jim 
longed to warn him, but he realized that even 
the softest whisper might prove fatal. For 
several moments he and Kichkinet lay close to 
the ground, studying the warriors at the fire. 
Jim noted that one of the Ojibwas had Dan’s 
powder horn and bullet pouch slung from his 
shoulder, while close beside him was the rifle 
which Holcombe valued so highly. The carcass 
of a deer lay upon the ground between Holcombe 
and the warriors, and it was evident that the 
Ojibwas had been feasting. The fire had burned 
149 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


low, and Jim feared that at any moment the 
warriors might end their talk, and move nearer 
their captive. Delay appeared perilous. 

‘‘Are you readyinquired Kichkinet. 

“Yes,^^ rephed Jim. 

‘ ‘ Come! ^ ’ cried Kichkinet. 

As Kichkinet raised the war cry they sprang 
to their feet and rushed toward Holcombe. For 
an instant the bewildered Ojibwas stared at 
them in silent amazement. Then, as they saw 
Jim stooping to free Holcombe, they suddenly 
reahzed the object of the daring attack. The 
warrior who had taken Holcombe ^s rifle raised 
it to his shoulder and was about to shoot, but 
Kichkinet drove an arrow through him before 
he could pull the trigger. Demoralized by the 
death of their comrade and the suddenness of 
the attack, the remaining Ojibwas rushed for 
cover. Freed from his bonds, Holcombe joined 
Jim and Kichkinet in a reckless dash to the 
fire. They secured Holcombe ^s rifle and blanket 
and stripped the powder horn and bullet pouch 
from the lifeless form of the Ojibwa, 

“Now we must run,’’ cried Kichkinet. 

At that moment, however, the Ojibwas rallied 
and rushed upon them. Holcombe fired, and the 
foremost warrior plunged headlong to earth. 
His companions hesitated for an instant, and 
150 



DARING RESCUE 


the scouts seized their opportunity and rushed 
into the night. 

‘‘Turn toward the west, an’ keep movinV^ 
cried Holcombe. 

They ran a long distance before they finally 
stopped to listen. There were no sounds from 
their foes. Holcombe reloaded his rifle. 

“They’ll not come after us,” he said. 
“Thar’s only four left, an’ they know we’re 
more than a match for ’em. However, we’d 
best keep goin’, for they’re likely to meet up 
with friends from Ticonderoga, an’ then they’ll 
begin to look for us.” 

When he finished loading his rifle, they con¬ 
tinued toward the west. For a long time they 
traveled in silence. Then, at the approach of 
daylight, they stopped to rest. 

“Dan, you have caused us many anxious 
hours,” laughed Jim. “Tell us how you fell 
into the hands of those Ojibwas.” 

“First, I’ll thank you an’ the Mohawk for 
what you’ve done,” said Dan. “It was as slick 
a play as I ever saw made. How did you find 
us?” 

“Kichkinet found your trail, and guessed 
what had happened and how many warriors 
were in the company,” Jim told him. 

“Mohawk, you did a real good job,” laughed 
151 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Holcombe. ‘^Now Ill tell my story. I found 
the trail of Trouville an’ his warriors some dis¬ 
tance west o’ whar I left you. I followed it 
toward the north until I figured I was some- 
whar opposite our meetin’ place. Then I cut 
across country to tell you about it. Pretty soon 
I found fresh tracks. I set out to follow ’em. I 
was movin’ ahead easy an’ careful when two o’ 
those Ojibwas jumped out at me an’ caught 
me off guard. I put up a real fight, but they 
called their friends, an’ I was soon done for. 
That’s all thar was of it. It was a bad mess, 
Jim, an’ it’s given Trouville an’ his gang time 
to get to their hidin’ place. Lad, I feel power¬ 
ful bad about it.” 

”Pan, I have not thought of Trouville since 
you disappeared,” replied Jim. ‘‘If harm had 
come to you, I fear I would have had little 
heart to continue the search. However, now 
that you have rejoined us, I feel confident we 
shall eventually run down our foes. ’ ’ 

“Anyway, we’ll make a big try,” declared 
Holcombe. 




CHAPTER XIII 
THE TRAIL TURNS WESTWARD 


H olcombe declared that he had slept 
soundly each night while he was in the 
hands of the Ojibwas, and he insisted upon 
keeping watch while Jim and Kichkinet lay 
down to rest. The sun was high above the 
horizon when they finally awakened. 

‘‘We have wasted time/^ said Jim. “Dan, 
you should have called us. ’ ’ 

“Thar’s no hurry,” Dan assured him. 
“Trouville an’ his gang have gained three days’ 
lead, an’ we can’t overtake ’em. Besides, we 
don’t know whar to look for ’em. When I 
left the trail it was headin’ due north. Mebbe 
it turned east or west after that. We’ve got 
considerable figurin’ to do before we’ll know 
just whar to go. Let’s talk over the chances. ’ ’ 
“My brothers, I believe the Shawnees have 
gone to their village,” declared Kichkinet. 

“That’s likely,” agreed Holcombe. “How¬ 
ever, it’s just as likely that Trouville an’ the 
Ojibwas have turned toward Ticonderoga, or 
even gone north to join the Hurons.” 

153 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Or perhaps Trouville has retreated to his 
hiding place, ’ ’ suggested Jim. 

“Yes, that^s another chance,’^ said Holcombe. 

“Well, we must agree upon a plan,’’ Jim 
told them. “Dan, tell us your idea.” 

“I believe thar’s just one thing to do,” said 
Holcombe. “We’ve got to separate agin an’ 
look for the trail of Trouville headin’ toward 
Ticonderoga. If he’s gone thar, we may just 
as well turn about an’ go back to the fort. How¬ 
ever, if we don’t find his trail in these parts, 
we’ll set out for the west.” 

“Kichkinet, how do you feel about it?” in¬ 
quired Jim. 

“The words of To-nes-sa-ah are good,” re¬ 
plied Kichkinet. 

“Dan, I, too, agree to your plan,” Jim told 
Holcombe. “However, if we loiter in this vicin¬ 
ity too long, we may find a war party from 
Ticonderoga on our trail.” 

“Thar’s another chance,” chuckled Hol¬ 
combe. “Well, we’ll keep our eyes open, an’ 
trust to luck. It won’t take long to find out if 
Trouville has made tracks for Ticonderoga.” 

Soon afterward they again separated to 
search for evidence of the war party. Jim con¬ 
tinued directly toward the west; Kichkinet cir¬ 
cled toward the north; and Holcombe turned 
154 




THE TRAIL TURNS 


farther toward the south. They chose a high 
hill some distance to the westward for their 
meeting place. 

Jim arrived at the base of the hill before sun¬ 
set. He had seen nothing to indicate that Trou- 
ville and the war party had passed. Eager to 
learn if his friends had arrived, Jim imitated 
the notes of the white-throated sparrow. There 
was no response. He seated himself to wait 
for Holcombe and Kichkinet. At short intervals 
he repeated the signal. Soon after sunset he 
received an answer. A few moments afterward 
Holcombe appeared. 

‘H’m on hand this time,’’ laughed Dan. “I 
didn’t find anything but game tracks. Did you 
find anything?” 

‘‘No,” replied Jim. “However, Kichkinet 
has not arrived. ’ ’ 

“So I see,” said Holcombe. “It looks like 
he’s found something. He’s a fast traveler, 
an’ should have been here before me.” 

Darkness had fallen, and they were growing 
a bit uneasy about the Mohawk when they sud¬ 
denly heard the call of the little red owl. As 
the call was repeated three times, they felt cer¬ 
tain that it had been made by Kichkinet. Jim 
replied, and soon afterward Kichkinet joined 
them. 


155 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘My brothers, I found fresh tracks,’’ he said. 
“I do not know who made them, but I believe 
they were Ojibwas.” 

“Which way were they headed?” inquired 
Holcombe. 

“ Ticonderoga, ” replied Kichkinet. 

“Mohawk, why do you believe they were 
Ojibwas?” asked Jim. 

“I believe they are the warriors who were 
with Ho-sa-ha-ho, ” said Kichkinet. 

“Is Ho-sa-ha-ho with them?” Jim asked, un¬ 
easily. 

“No; I looked sharp, but I did not see the 
tracks of Ho-sa-ha-ho, ’ ’ Kichkinet told him. 

“Tell us how you feel about it,” said Jim. 

“Achawi, I believe some of those Ojibwas 
have left Ho-sa-ha-ho and set out for the great 
camp at Ticonderoga,” declared Kichkinet. 
“Perhaps Ho-sa-ha-ho sent them there. I can¬ 
not tell about that. I do not believe Ho-sa-ha-ho 
is going to Ticonderoga. Perhaps he has gone 
with the Shawnees. Perhaps he has gone to 
meet the Hurons. Perhaps he has gone to his 
hiding place. We cannot tell about it until 
we find his trail.” 

‘ ‘ That’s sartin, ’ ’ agreed Holcombe. 

They camped in the timber at the base of 
the hill, and kept a sharp watch for the Ojibwa 
156 




THE TRAIL TURNS 


scouts who, they feared, might have followed 
them. The night passed without alarm, how¬ 
ever, and at daylight they continued their jour¬ 
ney toward the west. 

We’ll make for that little pond, and then 
I ’ll lead you to the place whar I left the trail, ’ ’ 
proposed Holcombe. 

‘‘Good,” agreed Jim. 

As Kichkinet felt certain that Trouville was 
not with the warriors who appeared to be travel¬ 
ing toward Ticonderoga, Jim felt greatly re¬ 
lieved. He believed that if Trouville remained 
away from the French stronghold, it would he 
only a matter of time until they would even¬ 
tually come up with him. They arrived at the 
little lake shortly after midday. As they failed 
to find evidence of their foes, Dan led the way 
toward the place where he had turned from the 
trail of the war party. It was almost dark when 
they finally reached the spot. Aware that it 
would he folly to attempt to follow the trail 
in the fading light, they determined to wait 
until the next day. In the meantime Holcombe 
found a spring in a thicket of small pines, and 
they decided to camp beside it. Kichkinet had 
killed a rabbit and several grouse, and as they 
wished to conserve their rations from the fort 
they resolved to make a fire and broil the game. 

157 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


They gathered a supply of dry sticks, and con¬ 
cealed the fire between two large bowlders. 

‘‘A meal fit for a king,’’ laughed Jim, as they 
proceeded to enjoy the feast. 

A moment afterward they heard a sharp 
crackling in the undergrowth, a short distance 
at their right. Convinced that something was 
moving through the woods at that spot, they 
seized their weapons and rose to their feet. 
Then for many moments they stood together in 
silence, listening for further sounds from the 
darkness. All was still. The silence, however, 
increased their suspense. They were eager to 
learn the origin of the careless footfall which 
had aroused their suspicions. Perhaps it had 
been made by a deer or an elk coming to drink 
at the spring—perhaps an Ojibwa scout was 
attempting to find them. They waited anxiously 
for a clue which might tell them what they 
wished to know, but the stillness was unbroken. 
The scouts were perplexed. It seemed probable 
that the sounds had been made by some animal 
which was approaching the spring when it sud¬ 
denly caught their scent and turned away. In 
that event, however, they believed they would 
have heard it moving off. On the other hand, 
if a scout had blundered into a tangle of fallen 
timber he would be careful to extricate him- 
158 




THE TRAIL TURNS 


self as noiselessly as possible. The silence, 
therefore, became significant. 

‘^Mohawk, what do you make of it?’’ Jim 
asked, softly. 

“Sh,” cautioned Kichkinet. 

It was evident that the Mohawk had suddenly 
heard something. A moment later Jim and 
Holcombe heard soft, stealthy footfalls directly 
behind them. They cocked the rifles and 
turned to face the danger. Kichkinet had fitted 
an arrow to his bow, and was peering eagerly 
into the darkness. In a few moments he lowered 
his bow and laughed softly. 

‘Ht is Na-o-geh,” he said. 

‘‘How do you know that?” Jim asked him. 

“I smell him,” replied Kichkinet. 

In the meantime Holcombe had begun to sniff 
the air. A moment afterward he agreed with 
Kichkinet. 

“The Mohawk is right,” he said. “It’s a 
bull elk; I smell him, plain.” 

With customary caution the elk had ap¬ 
proached against the wind, and had caught the 
scent of the men who had taken possession of 
the spring. Alert to its peril, the elk had 
stopped to investigate, and for an instant they 
caught the glow of its eyes as it faced them 
within easy bowshot. Then it turned and 
159 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


trotted away into the night. For a moment or 
so the snapping of twigs marked its flight 
through the undergrowth, but the sounds sud¬ 
denly ceased as the bull entered the heavy 
timber. 

‘ ‘ Thar goes my worry, ’ ’ chuckled Holcombe. 

‘‘And mine,’^ said Jim. 

They felt relieved to know that the elk had 
been the cause of their alarm. Nevertheless, 
they determined to take turns at watching until 
daylight. The night passed without further in¬ 
cident, and at sunrise they returned to the trail 
of the war party. 

“Now for the real hunt,’’ Holcombe said, 
gayly, as they turned toward the north. 

The trail was old and difficult to follow, and 
they made slow progress. In some places the 
tracks had been entirely obliterated by a fresh 
layer of fallen leaves. At those spots Kich- 
kinet and Holcombe displayed rare skill in find¬ 
ing clues which enabled them to continue on the 
trail. At midday it still led toward the north. 
Holcombe stopped, and shook his head. 

“What is wrong?” Jim asked him. 

“I’m wonderin’ why we don’t strike the trail 
of those warriors who went toward Ticon- 
deroga, ’ ’ replied Holcombe. ‘ ‘ ’Pears like they 
must have turned ofi before this.” 

160 



THE TRAIL TURNS 


does seem strange,’’ agreed Jim. ^‘Mo¬ 
hawk, how do you feel about it?” 

‘^Pretty soon we will know about it,” Kich- 
kinet told them. 

It was some time later when they finally 
found the place where the war party had sepa¬ 
rated. One trail turned toward the east, while 
the larger company went toward the west. Hol¬ 
combe and Kichkinet spent considerable time 
reconnoitering. 

^Ht is good,” Kichkinet said, finally. 
have found the tracks of Ho-sa-ha-ho and his 
white brother. They have gone with the Shaw- 
nees.” 

‘‘Good, good,” Jim cried, heartily. “Dan, I 
feared that Trouville might go north to join the 
Hurons. Then it might have been impossible 
to take him. However, now that he has gone 
with the Shawnees, I have great hopes of suc¬ 
cess.” 

“It begins to look more promisin’,” Hol¬ 
combe said, quietly. 




CHAPTER XrV\ 

PERILOUS GROUND 

T hey turned toward the west and followed 
eagerly along the trail. From the tops of 
the ridges they saw familiar landmarks to the 
southward, and Kichkinet declared that the Mo¬ 
hawk camp was only a day^s journey in that 
direction. He was eager to return to his village 
to ask Black Cloud and Stands Alone and Danc¬ 
ing Wolf to join the expedition. 

‘ ‘ Those great scouts have been to the Shaw¬ 
nee camp,’^ he said. ‘‘I believe they will be 
able to help us. ’ ^ 

‘^Dan, I favor the plan; how do you feel about 
it?’’ Jim asked Holcombe. 

‘‘We may need ’em before we get through 
with this job,” replied Dan. 

“Kichkinet, ask your brothers to go with 
us,” said Jim. 

“It is good,” replied Kichkinet. 

“How about meetin’?” asked Holcombe. 
“Follow the trail; we will come up with you 
before you reach the Shawnee camp,” Kich¬ 
kinet assured him. 


162 


PERILOUS GROUND 


Then he left them and hurried away toward 
the south. Jim and Holcombe continued along 
the trail of the war party. At sunset it led them 
to the shore of a picturesque little woodland 
lake, and they decided to stop there for the 
night. They found the remains of several camp 
fires, and it was evident that the Shawnees had 
passed a night at that spot. 

‘‘Jim, lad, it Spears like we^re runnin' a cold 
trail,’’ Holcombe told Jim. “I figure Trouville 
arrived at the Shawnee camp several days ago. 
Jim, why do you suppose he went back? He’s 
led the Shawnees in two losin’ fights, an’ I 
don’t believe he ’ll get much of a welcome. How¬ 
ever, I’ll wager he expects to gain something 
from the visit. Like as not he’ll try to lead 
the Shawnees into some fresh mischief before 
he leaves ’em.” 

“Dan, that is just what I fear,” replied Jim. 
“Perhaps Trouville has gone back with the 
Shawnees to make excuses for the failure of the 
war expedition. However, I believe, as you 
do, that there is some other reason for his long 
journey to the Shawnee camp. I hope he will 
remain there until we can overtake him.” 

“What is your plan?” inquired Holcombe. 

“Dan, at present I am without a plan,” Jim 
told him. “Much mil depend upon what we 
163 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


are able to learn at the Shawnee camp. Per¬ 
haps Trouville himself will give us our oppor¬ 
tunity. ’ ’ 

‘‘That^s the correct idee/^ agreed Dan. 
can’t do much figurin ^ until we know what Trou¬ 
ville intends to do.^’ 

Their talk was interrupted by the call of a 
loon on the other side of the lake. They moved 
cautiously to the edge of the water, and sat 
down to listen. It was not long, however, be¬ 
fore they heard the bird splashing noisily, and 
they knew that the call was genuine. Aware 
that voices carry a long distance over water, 
they rose and moved farther back into the 
woods. 

‘^Dan, have you been here before?’’ 

‘ ^ No, ” replied Holcombe. ‘ ‘ An ’ do you know, 
Jim, I’m tryin’ to figure out why the Shawnees 
came so far north. As I figure it their camp 
is a considerable distance to the south’ard.” 

‘‘Perhaps they wished to avoid another en¬ 
counter with the Mohawks.” 

“Mebbe so,” said Dan. 

They shared the night watch, but heard noth¬ 
ing to arouse their suspicions. Before sunrise 
they resumed their way along the Shawnee trail. 
Aware that they were entering perilous ground, 
they advanced with more caution. They ap- 
164 



PERILOUS GROUND 


peared to have found a hunter paradise, for 
game signs were everywhere through the 
woods. As the day advanced, they saw deer 
and elk and moose, and several times they 
found the great, clumsy footprints of the bear. 
Wild turkeys ran through the hickory groves, 
and grouse flushed from the thickets. Immense 
flocks of wild pigeons darkened the sky. Jim 
became enthusiastic. 

‘‘What a glorious hunting ground,’’ he said. 

“Sort o’ makes your trigger finger itch, don’t 
it!” laughed Holcombe. 

However, they had no thought of yielding to 
the temptation, for they knew that the report 
of a rifle might prove fatal to their plans. It 
was not long before they noted that the trail 
was leading farther to the southward. At last 
the Shawnees appeared to have turned toward 
their camp. 

“Now we know where they are going,” said 
Jim. 

“It looks like they’ve come a long ways out 
of their course,” replied Holcombe. “How¬ 
ever, mebbe thar’s a good reason for it.” 

“I believe their only object was to avoid the 
Mohawks,” Jim told him. 

“It looks like it,” said Dan. 

Then as the trail made another abrupt turn 
165 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


toward the south, Holcombe stopped and turned 
to Jim. 

^‘We’re sartin the Shawnees are makin’ for 
their camp, an’ it ’pears like we’re wastin’ good 
time pokin’ along on their trail,” he said. ‘‘I 
propose that we strike direct for the Shawnee 
camp. It’ll save considerable time, an’, as I 
figure it, we’ve little time to spare if we plan to 
come up with Trouville before he leaves the 
Shawnees.” 

“Dan, you are entirely correct. Now that we 
feel sure that the Shawnees are bound for their 
village, I can see no advantage in attempting to 
keep on their trail.” 

‘ ‘ Then we ’ll leave it, an ’ be on our way, ’ ’ said 
Holcombe. 

He left the trail and turned toward the south. 
At the end of the day they found themselves in 
familiar country to the westward of the Mo¬ 
hawk hunting grounds. Then they turned 
toward the west and traveled until darkness 
compelled them to stop for the night. They 
chose their camp site beside a stream that 
flowed from the north. 

“Dan, as I remember it, the Shawnee camp 
should be about two days’ travel farther to the 
westward,” Jim told Holcombe. 

“Correct,” agreed Dan. 

166 




PERILOUS GROUND 


‘‘When do you believe our Mohawk friends 
will overtake 

“I don’t expect to meet ’em before we get 
close to the Shawnee camp,” said Dan. “Here’s 
how I figure it. If Kichkinet kept movin’ pretty 
much through the night, as I believe he did, he 
should have reached his village soon after sun¬ 
rise to-day. Then thar was a big talk with his 
friends, an’ it’s unlikely he got away agin 
until some time after midday. I figure we’re 
a long day’s journey west an’ north o’ the Mo¬ 
hawk village. It’s likely the Mohawks will 
strike straight for the Shawnee camp, but even 
so we’re a full day ahead of ’em. However, 
they’ll travel fast, an’ mebbe they’ll keep goin’ 
far into the night. I figure we’ll meet ’em 
within a day’s journey of the camp.” 

Late the following day, as they were moving 
cautiously along the edge of a large tamarack 
swamp, Dan suddenly stopped and stooped to 
examine the ground. As Jim joined him, Hol¬ 
combe pointed at a fresh moccasin track. 

“Some one is ahead of us, an’ not so far 
aliead, either,” he said. “Let’s find out whar 
he came from.” 

He rose and followed slowly back along the 
trail. It was fresh and quite easy to foUow, 
and within a bowshot it turned sharply toward 
167 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


the south. Holcombe stopped, and smiled at 
Jim. 

‘^That’s why we didn’t find it before,” he 
said. “Jim, it looks like this fellow has come 
from the Mohawk river. So far as I can see 
he’s alone. You’ve looked sharp, can you make 
out more than one track?” 

“No,” replied Jim. 

For some moments Dan studied the moccasin 
track in silence. He appeared to be considering 
the possibilities. 

“Perhaps it is one of the Mohawks,” sug¬ 
gested Jim. 

Dan shook his head. Then he stooped and 
examined the track with his fingers. When he 
had finished he still continued silent. Jim 
waited for his decision. 

“No; I don’t believe he’s a Mohawk,” Dan 
said, finally. “It’s likely our friends will keep 
together until they come up with us, an’ if it 
was a stray Mohawk hunter he’d be unlikely to 
turn west—^unless he circled the swamp. That’s 
a new idee. Come, we’ll go back an’ see if 
it works out.” 

They returned to the edge of the swamp and 
followed the trail of the mysterious traveler. 
As the ground was marshy and free from under¬ 
growth the tracks showed plainly. It was evi- 
168 




PERILOUS GROUND 


dent that the traveler was alone. However, 
when the trail reached the other side of the 
swamp, it continued directly toward the west. 
Holcombe winked at Jim. 

figured it warn’t a Mohawk, an’ now I’m 
plumb sartin about it,” he said. “This buck 
is a Shawnee; I’d almost wager my rifle on it. ’ ’ 

“Dan, you must be mighty certain even to 
suggest such a wager,” laughed Jim. 

‘ ^ For sartin, ’ ’ chuckled Holcombe. 

“How long ago do you believe this fellow 
passed?” 

“Some time after midday,” said Dan. 

“Then he cannot be far ahead of us.” 

“I figure he’s close enough to be dangerous,” 
replied Holcombe. “Not but what I believe 
we’re more than a match for one Shawnee, but 
we don’t want him to find us. If the Shawnees 
larn that two white scouts are headin’ toward 
their camp, it won’t take Trouville long to 
guess who we are. Then we’ll not only lose 
our chance, but we’ll be likely to lose our hair 
as well.” 

Jim nodded. 

“Jim, we’d best stop,” Dan said, a few mo¬ 
ments later. “It will be dark soon, an’ thar’s 
no tollin’ whar this buck has camped down for 
the night. We don’t want to run into him; 

169 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


neither do we want to get ahead of him. We’ll 
hole up until daylight, and then we’ll follow 
him to his camp.” 

^^Good,” said Jim. 

They made no attempt to find water, but 
moved a bowshot from the trail and found 
comfortable shelter beneath the dense top of a 
large pine that had been overturned by the wind. 
It offered them a secure hiding place, and as 
they had little fear of being disturbed they de¬ 
cided that it would be unnecessary to keep 
watch. 

^‘Now for a real good sleep,” said Jim. 

‘‘I’m ready,” laughed Dan. 

A sudden biting cold descended upon the wil¬ 
derness during the night, and when Jim and 
Holcombe crawled from their shelter at dawn 
they found the ground white with frost. 

“Winter has struck the war post,” laughed 
Dan. 

“It looks like it,” said Jim. 

A moment later Holcombe turned his head 
and appeared to be listening. Jim looked 
anxiously into the shadows. Then he, too, 
caught the soft, unmistakable ripple of running 
water. 

“It’s over here,” Dan told him. 

They went a short bowshot from the fallen 

170 




PERILOUS GROUND 


tree and found a tiny stream flowing merrily 
beneath a jumble of rocks and brush. They fol¬ 
lowed it and came upon a little rock-bound pool, 
and then the stream again disappeared beneath 
an intricate tangle of fallen timber. They lay 
down at the edge of the pool and drank heartily. 

‘‘Ah-h-h, that’s good,” said Dan. 

‘^Too good to leave,” laughed Jim, as he sub¬ 
merged his face in the icy water. 

As they rose to their feet several blue jays 
discovered them, and began a noisy commotion 
in the top of a nearby pine. The scouts listened 
uneasily. Holcombe shook his head. 

^ ^ That’s bad, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ Those noisy rascals 
are a nuisance. Once they see you, they’re not 
content until they’ve screeched the news to the 
four winds. If that Shawnee buck hears ’em 
he’s likely to get suspicious. Mebbe he ’ll come 
pokin’ over this way to find out what the fuss 
is about. We’d best watch out.” 

As one of the birds descended to a low limb 
of the pine Holcombe suddenly aimed his rifle. 
Jim looked at him in astonishment. In a mo¬ 
ment, however, Holcombe lowered the weapon 
and chuckled mischievously. 

‘‘Jim, I’m not fool enough to pull trigger,” 
he said. “I was just showin’ that blue rascal 
what I’d like to do. ’ ’ 


171 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Dan, for an instant I feared you had lost 
your wits,^’ laughed Jim. 

“Lad, my wits an’ my scalp will likely go at 
the same time.” 

They waited until the jays finally tired of 
watching them and flew away. Then they re¬ 
turned to the trail of the lone traveler. The 
sky was flushed with crimson and a narrow band 
of gold extended along the eastern horizon. The 
sun was about to appear. Jim realized that 
much might happen before it finally went down 
in the west. 

“Dan, before this day ends we should be close 
to the Shawnee camp,” he told Holcombe. 

“Close enough to make things interestin’,” 
replied Dan. 

Then their thoughts turned upon the unknown 
traveler who had preceded them. If he had 
stopped at nightfall, they realized that he could 
not be far ahead, and the thought made them 
cautious. Dan followed the trail with great 
care, stopping at frequent intervals to examine 
the tracks. He was eager to discover the place 
where the traveler had stopped for the night. 

“Jim, it ’pears like this buck kept goin’ right 
on into the night,” he told Jim. 

“Perhaps he was making for some familiar 
camp site, ’ ’ said Jim. 


172 




PERILOUS GROUND 


figurin^ that chance,’’ replied Holcombe. 
‘‘An^^ay, we’ll soon know about it.” 

When they failed to find anything to prove 
that the traveler had turned aside for the night, 
Dan became uneasy. 

‘Ht begins to look like he was in a big hurry 
to reach the Shawnee camp,” he said. ^^Now 
what was the reason for so much speed? I 
figure he carried important news. Mebbe he 
was prowhn’ around the Mohawk country an’ 
saw Kichkinet an’ his friends.” 

‘^Dan, you don’t believe that, do you?” Jim 
asked in alarm. 

‘ ‘ Thar’s a chance, ’ ’ said Dan. 

Jim’s heart grew heavy at the thought. He 
feared that if the Mohawks had been discovered, 
all chance of taking Trouville was gone. For 
some moments it filled him with despair. He 
regretted that he had permitted Kichkinet to 
return to his friends. Then Holcombe suddenly 
stopped and knelt to examine the trail. In a 
few moments he rose and moved slowly for¬ 
ward, stooping low and searching the ground 
with painstaking care. When he had gone a 
bowshot, he turned eagerly to Jim. 

‘‘That buck turned off back thar by that big 
rock,” he said. “Then he came back here at 
this spot. See, here’s his fresh track. Thar’s 
173 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


no trail between this track an^ the one back 
thar by the rock. I figure he turned off at that 
place to find shelter for the night. We ^11 go 
back an^ see what we can find out about it.’’ 

They returned to the rock, and Dan followed 
the tracks toward the north. Jim kept sharp 
watch ahead while Holcombe gave his attention 
to the trail. They had not gone far when they 
came upon a bubbhng spring, and there the 
trail ended. A short distance from the spring 
they found the remains of a fire. The ashes 
were still warm. The rock against which the 
fire had been made bore the evidence of smoke 
and heat, and it was plain that many other 
fires had been lighted at that spot. The scouts 
felt certain that it was a favorite camp site of 
the Shawnees. 

‘‘Here’s whar he lay down,” said Holcombe, 
as he examined the ground at one side of the 
fire. 

“Dan, we may be sure that this fellow never 
would have made a fire, and stopped here to 
sleep, if he had seen the Mohawks moving this 
way,” said Jim. 

‘ ‘ That’s sartin, ’ ’ agreed Dan. ‘ ‘ When an In¬ 
jun makes a fire, an’ lays down beside it to 
sleep, you can figure he feels pretty safe.” 

Having learned what they wished to know, 

174 




PERILOUS GROUND 


they left the camp site and went back to follow 
the trail. Soon afterward they lost it on a 
steep rocky hillside. Dan, however, showed 
little concern. 

‘^Let him go,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re pretty nigh 
sartin who he is an’ whar he’s goin’. That’s 
good enough for now. Anyway, we may pick 
up his trail somewhar on the other side o’ the 
ridge. ’ ’ 

“We should be able to locate the camp from 
the top of this ridge,” Jim said, hopefully. 

“So I figure,” replied Dan. 

However, when they reached the summit of 
the ridge they found their view obstructed by 
a still higher ridge a short distance farther to 
the westward. Both instantly recognized it as 
a familiar landmark. Beyond it was the river 
beside which the Shavmees had located their 
village. 

“We’ll look around a bit before we move on,” 
proposed Holcombe. 

In a few moments they came upon an open 
trail that turned down the western slope of the 
ridge. It came from the north and appeared 
to lead toward the Shawnee camp. They found 
many footprints, and Holcombe felt certain 
that they had been made by Trouville and his 
warriors. He followed the trail a short dis- 
175 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


tance back along the ridge, and then he dropped 
to his hands and knees and carefully examined 
one of the tracks. 

‘‘Kerens a boot mark, an’ the track turns 
out,” he said. 

^‘Trouville,” said Jim. 

Dan nodded. 




CHAPTEE XV 
A COUNCIL OF WAR 


C onvinced that it would be perilous to 
attempt to follow the Shawnee trail, Jim 
and Holcombe kept farther to the northward. 
Shortly before sunset they arrived at the base 
of the high ridge and began the steep difficult 
climb to the top. They stopped at frequent in¬ 
tervals, and Jim imitated the notes of the 
white-throated sparrow. The signals went un¬ 
answered. 

‘‘Dan, I expected to meet the Mohawks be¬ 
fore this,’’ Jim said, anxiously. 

“They’ll come,” Holcombe assured him. “I 
figure we’ll meet ’em somewhar along this 
ridge. No matter which way they come, they’ve 
got to cross it to reach the Shawnee camp, an’ 
they’ll figure the same way about us.” 

“It appears to be the most likely meeting 
place,” agreed Jim. 

“For sartin,” said Dan. 

They toiled slowly to the top of the ridge, 
and then they saw the Shawnee camp. It was 
177 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


situated along the easterly side of a large river 
that flowed through a wide fertile valley. The 
village was protected on three sides by a high 
log stockade, but the side toward the water was 
open. For some moments the scouts studied 
the camp in silence. It awakened memories in 
each of them. In the days before the trouble 
with the French, Holcombe had visited the 
Shawnees on friendly trading expeditions. Jim 
had been a captive in the village two years be¬ 
fore. 

‘‘Jim, before all this trouble started, I could 
walk down into that camp and receive a friendly 
welcome,’^ said Dan. 

“Dan, my own memories of the place are far 
less pleasant,’^ laughed Jim. 

They saw a number of canoes on the river, 
and many people moving about the village. Jim 
wondered whether Trouville and Stockley were 
among them. Smoke was rising before some 
of the lodges, and the Shawnees appeared to be 
making preparations for the evening meal. 

“Dan, do you believe Trouville is still in the 
camp?’’ 

“Bless me, Jim, I’ve no idee,” replied Hol¬ 
combe. “However, if the Mohawks come, I be¬ 
lieve we’ll find out about it before the night 
passes. It takes a Mohawk to find out such 

178 




A COUNCIL OF WAR 


things. Black Cloud has done it once, an^ V\l 
wager he can do it agin.^^ 

‘‘I feel certain of that,’’ said Jim. ‘‘How¬ 
ever, the Mohawks have failed to appear, and 
I am growing anxious.” 

“I’m a bit puzzled about ’em myself,” Dan 
told him. “It ’pears like they’ve had time to 
get here.” 

“Perhaps it would be well to look for them 
before night comes.” 

“No, Jim, I don’t believe it. We’d best wait 
until they find us. If they reach the ridge, 
they’ll search us out.” 

Holcombe had barely ceased speaking when 
they heard the notes of the white-throated 
sparrow, farther along the ridge in the direc¬ 
tion of the Shawnee trail. In a few moments 
the plaintive notes were repeated, and this time 
they sounded nearer. The scouts remained 
silent. They had expected the Mohawks to 
approach from the other direction, and they 
were somewhat suspicious. Then the song be¬ 
gan again, but ceased abruptly after the second 
note. 

“It is Kichkinet!” Jim said, joyously. 

He immediately replied to the signal, and in 
a few moments the Mohawks appeared. There 
were six in the company, and each was a famous 

179 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


scout. Besides Kichkinet, there were Black 
Cloud, and Stands Alone, and Dancing Wolf, 
and Little Bear, and Yellow Eagle. 

^‘Achawi, we have found you—^it is good,’’ 
said Kichkinet. ‘‘We would have been here 
sooner, but Black Cloud and Stands Alone were 
away from the village on a hunt, and I sent 
Skennek to find them.” 

“My brothers, I am glad to see you,” Jim 
told the Mohawks. “Now I believe we will do 
what we have set out to do.” 

The Mohawks were painted for war. After 
they had exchanged greetings with Jim and 
Holcombe, they spent many moments watching 
the Shawnee camp. At last Black Cloud turned 
to Jim. 

“Achawi, the day is going,” he said. “You 
are the leader. We have come here to help 
you. Tell us what you propose to do.” 

They formed the council circle, and Jim ex¬ 
plained his plan. 

“My brothers, Ho-sa-ha-ho is our enemy,” he 
said. “You all know he led the Shawnees and 
the Ojibwas against your village. Some of 
your brothers were killed in that fight. Ho-sa- 
ha-ho is to blame for it.” 

The Mohawks murmured angrily. 

“Mohawks, Ho-sa-ha-ho has also led his war 
180 




A COUNCIL OF WAR 


parties against my people. He has burned our 
villages and killed our women and children. 
The Great White Chief is very mad about it. 
He says, ‘We must catch Ho-sa-ha-ho and his 
white brother, and then all this trouble will 
end.^ Mohawks, the Great White Chief has 
sent us to catch Ho-sa-ha-ho. We have followed 
him a long way. We have found out that he 
came here with his brothers, the Shawnees. 
Now we wish to find out if he is still in their 
camp. If he is there, we will wait until he 
leaves the village. Then we will follow on his 
trail and try to catch him. My brothers, our 
hearts are bad against Ho-sa-ha-ho, hut we must 
not kill him. The Great White Chief says, 
‘Bring Ho-sa-ha-ho and his white brother to my 
village.^ We must do as he tells us to do. Mo¬ 
hawks, this is what I propose to do. I have 
called you here to help me because I know that 
all of you are brave scouts. When it grows 
dark, I will ask some of you to go to the Shaw¬ 
nee camp to find out if Ho-sa-ha-ho is there. 
Now, my brothers, I have told you what I pro¬ 
pose to do.’’ 

“Achawi, I have found out how to get close 
to the Shawnee camp,” said Black Cloud. 
“When it grows dark I will go down there and 
find out what you wish to know.” 

181 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘It is good,’’ said Jim. 

“My brothers, it would be foolish for Black 
Cloud to go down there alone,” said Dancing 
Wolf. ‘ ‘ I will go with him. ’ ’ 

“I am going with Black Cloud,” Stands Alone 
declared, emphatically. “I went with him the 
last time, and I am the one to go with him 
now.” 

Kichkinet, and Little Bear and Yellow Eagle 
also were eager to accompany Black Cloud, and 
for some moments the discussion threatened to 
end in discord. Jim glanced uneasily at Hoi* 
combe. The latter frowned and shook his head. 
Then Jim determined to assert his authority as 
war leader. 

“My brothers, I see that all of you wish to 
go with Black Cloud,” he said. “That would 
be foolish. It will be hard to get near the 
Shawnee camp. If you all go down there, the 
Shawnees will surely hear you. Then we can¬ 
not do what we came here to do. The Great 
White Chief will be very mad. He will say, 
‘Achawi and his brothers the Mohawks are like 
children. They got near the Shawnee village, 
but they did not know what to do. ’ 

“My brothers, there are few of us, but there 
are many Shawnees. We must be sharp. If 
Ho-sa-ha-ho finds out that we are here, he will 
182 




A COUNCIL OF WAR 


stay in the Shawnee camp. I am yonr leader, 
and you must listen to my words. Now I am 
going to ask Stands Alone to go with Black 
Cloud. It will be enough. The rest of us will 
wait here until our brothers come back and tell 
us what they have found out. Then we will 
know what to do. Achawi has spoken. ’ ^ 

The Mohawks spent a long time in silent 
meditation. Jim waited anxiously. Would they 
accept his words and bow to his will? He 
glanced sharply at Kichkinet. The young war¬ 
rior nodded. Jim felt encouraged. Then Kich¬ 
kinet began to speak. 

^^My brothers, the words of Achawi are 
good,’^ he said. We all wish to go down there 
and kill some Shawnees, but I see that it would 
be foolish. Achawi has come here to do a big 
thing. He has called us here to help him. 
Achawi is our war leader. He has led us in 
some big fights. My brothers, we must do as 
Achawi tells us to do. Then the Great White 
Chief will feel good about it.’’ 

''Achawi, I see that what you propose is 
good,” said Dancing Wolf. will not talk 
against it.” 

''My brothers, I would like to go down there 
with Black Cloud and Stands Alone, but I will 
183 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


stay here because I see that it is the best thing 
to do,’’ declared Little Bear. 

“Achawi, I will do as you ask us to do,” said 
Yellow Eagle. 

‘‘My brothers, now I see that we all feel the 
same way about this thing,” Jim told them. “It 
is good.” 

A few moments afterward they ended the 
council. Then each Mohawk unrolled his 
blanket and produced a buckskin bag which 
contained several days’ rations of dried deer 
meat and hard, round cakes composed of corn 
meal, beans, and dried berries. Kichkinet had 
brought a fresh supply of food for Jim and 
Holcombe. As they ate, the Mohawks relaxed 
into a jolly, light-hearted comradeship, and for 
the moment the hated Shawnees and their 
treacherous ally from the north were forgotten. 
When they had finished eating. Black Cloud led 
the way to a little spring, a short distance down 
the eastern slope of the ridge. 

It was almost dark when they returned to the 
top of the ridge. For some moments they stood 
together, and watched the fires in the Shawnee 
camp. Then, as darkness finally settled down. 
Black Cloud and Stands Alone prepared to set 
out on their perilous undertaking. 

“We will go down there and watch at the 
184 




A COUNCIL OF WAR 


edge of the woods/^ Black Cloud told Jim. 
^^When the way is clear we will creep up to the 
camp and try to find out what we wish to 
know. ^ ’ 

‘‘My brothers, you are very brave,said 
Jim. “You will be in great danger, but I believe 
you are sharp enough to fool the Shawnees. ’ ’ 

A moment afterward Black Cloud and Stands 
Alone started down the side of the ridge. Their 
companions continued to watch the Shawnee 
camp in silence. It was not long, however, be¬ 
fore they discovered something which awakened 
their interest. A large fire had been lighted in 
the center of the village, and the Shawnees ap¬ 
peared to have assembled for a council. 

“It is good,’’ said Dancing Wolf. “Now our 
brothers will find out if Ho-sa-ha-ho is in the 
camp. ’ ’ 

However, when the night was half gone, a 
wild commotion suddenly broke out in the 
Shawnee village, and the little company of 
scouts on top of the ridge listened uneasily. 
They saw the Shawnees, like black pigmies, 
capering frantically about the fire. The night 
rang with their piercing yells, and the excited 
barking of the dogs. Jim turned to Holcombe 
in alarm. 

“What has happened?” he asked. 

185 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


looks bad,’’ Holcombe replied, soberly. 

‘‘You don’t mean—” Jim hesitated to express 
his fears. 

“Yes, thar’s a chance that the Shawnees have 
caught our scouts.” 

Jim was crushed by the possibility. He 
moved away, and for some moments stood by 
himself listening to the wild bedlam that rose 
from the valley. Then Holcombe touched him 
on the arm. 

“Let’s see how the Mohawks feel about it,” 
he said. 

“My brothers, what do you make of this 
thing?” Jim asked them. 

“It is bad,” said Kichkinet. “Perhaps the 
Shawnees have caught our brothers. Listen. 
They are shouting the war cry. ’ ’ 

“Achawi, we are troubled about this thing,” 
declared Dancing Wolf. “Something big has 
happened do^vn there at the camp. Perhaps the 
Shawnees are about to kill our brothers. We 
are Mohawks. We must go down there and find 
out about it. ’ ’ 

“Go, my brothers,” Jim told them. 

“If the Shawnees have killed Stands Alone 
and Black Cloud, we will bring a great war 
party here and wipe out that village,” Yellow 
Eagle cried, fiercely. 


186 




A COUNCIL OF WAR 


‘‘If the Shawnees have killed our brothers, 
I will lead the war party to the Shawnee camp,’’ 
Jim pledged himself. 

“It is good,” the Mohawks told him. 

Then they hastened away into the night. For 
a long time Jim and Holcombe kept silent. The 
commotion in the Shawnee camp continued, and 
at short intervals the war cry rose above the 
din and echoed threateningly between the hills. 

“Dan, I fear that the loyalty of Black Cloud 
and Stands Alone may have cost them their 
lives at the torture stake,” Jim said, sadly. 

“It looks bad,” replied Holcombe. 




CHAPTER XVI 


UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


B lack cloud and stands Alone moved 
slowly through the woods until they 
reached the base of the ridge, and then they 
stopped to listen. As they heard nothing to 
alarm them, they sat down at the edge of the 
timber to agree upon a plan. The Shawnee 
camp was a short distance farther to the south¬ 
ward in a wide, open meadow which made ap¬ 
proach difficult and perilous. However, upon 
his previous reconnaissance. Black Cloud had 
discovered a small opening between the logs of 
the stockade at the north side of the village. It 
was close to the council circle, and offered him 
an opportunity to see and hear what was 
transpiring in the Shawnee camp. 

‘‘We will keep along the edge of the woods 
until we get near the camp, ’ ’ said Black Cloud. 
“Then I will crawl out and peep into the vil¬ 
lage. ’ ’ 

“I will go with you,’’ proposed Stands Alone. 
“No, my brother; that would be foolish,” 
Black Cloud told him. “We must watch out 
188 


UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


for the dogs. If two of us crawl out there, per¬ 
haps they will find us. You must watch in the 
woods. If anything happens to me, you must 
go back and tell my brothers about it. Stands 
Alone, this is the only way to do this thing. It 
is the way we did it before, and everything was 
good.’’ 

‘‘I will listen to your words,” agreed Stands 
Alone. 

‘‘It is good,” said Black Cloud. “Now we 
must move ahead. ’ ’ 

They advanced carefully along the edge of the 
woods until they were opposite the camp. Then 
they again stopped to listen. The night was 
clear and cold, but there were few stars. Black 
Cloud was thankful for the darkness. 

“Great Ha-wen-ne-yu had wiped away the 
stars, so that it will be hard for our enemies to 
see us, ’ ’ he said. 

“It is good,” replied Stands Alone. 

Their greatest fear was of the dogs. They 
knew that there were many in the camp, and 
there was a strong possibility that some of them 
might be prowling about outside of the stockade. 
Once they caught the scent of strangers, they 
would be sure to arouse the camp. Under other 
circumstances Black Cloud would have waited 
until he felt quite certain that the dogs had 
189 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


withdrawn into the village and settled down for 
the night. At this time, however, he realized 
that delay might prevent him from learning 
what he wished to know. Unless he could recon- 
noiter the camp before the Shawnees retired to 
the lodges, it would be impossible to learn if 
Trouville and Stockley were in the village. 
Therefore, he determined to approach the camp 
at once. He moistened his finger and held it 
above his head. There was little wind, but it 
blew from the river. 

‘^The wind comes from the water, he told 
Stands Alone. 

Then, as he was about to begin the perilous 
approach, the camp was suddenly illuminated. 
Sparks rose above the stockade in the center 
of the village. A moment afterward the Mo¬ 
hawks heard some one crying out in loud tones. 

‘‘The Shawnees are coming together for a 
council,’’ said Black Cloud. “It is good. It 
will keep the warriors in the camp, and I will 
see if Ho-sa-ha-ho is with them.” 

“Everything is good for us,” chuckled Stands 
Alone. 

“It must be the work of great Ha-wen-ne-yu,” 
declared Black Cloud. “Now I am going 
ahead. ’ ’ 

“Watch sharp,” cautioned Stands Alone. 

190 




UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


‘‘Yes, yes,’’ replied Black Cloud. 

He left the timber and moved cautiously 
toward the camp. When he had gone a bow¬ 
shot, he stopped to listen. Voices sounded 
plainly from the village, but Black Cloud gave 
little attention to them. For the moment his 
thoughts were entirely of the dogs. He listened 
anxiously to hear them passing through the 
high dry grass which covered the meadow. As 
he failed to hear them, he moved on. The stock¬ 
ade was several long bowshots away, and Black 
Cloud realized that each stride was increasing 
his peril. As he advanced, the noise in the 
Shawnee camp increased, and the Mohawk was 
perplexed as he heard laughter, and shouts, and 
snatches of song. He believed that the Shaw- 
nees were making merry in some important 
ceremony. The possibility pleased him. 

“I believe Ho-sa-ha-ho is in this camp,” he 
told himself. 

Then he suddenly heard a soft rustling in the 
grass directly ahead of him. He stopped in 
alarm, and fitted an arrow to his bow. The 
sounds had ceased, but Black Cloud feared to 
move. He looked anxiously into the darkness, 
expecting to see the flash of angry eyes, for he 
felt quite certain that he had encountered one 
of the dogs. If he discovered it, he determined 
191 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


to drive his arrow through it, before it could 
give the alarm. The stillness baffled him . He 
wondered if the dog had caught his scent and 
slunk away. It appeared unlikely. Perhaps it 
had crouched, and was waiting to spring upon 
him as he approached. It was a long time be¬ 
fore he dared to advance. Then, as he finally 
moved forward, he again heard the sounds in 
the dry grass. This time they were close be¬ 
side him, and he flashed about to meet the ex¬ 
pected attack. At that moment the startled 
creature bounded past him. Black Cloud 
laughed softly. 

‘Ht was only Muschgingus, the rabbit, he 
said. 

It was some moments before he recovered 
from his alarm, and then he again moved slowly 
toward the stockade. The noise in the Shawnee 
camp continued, and at short intervals the war 
cry rang defiantly through the night. Black 
Cloud was at a loss to account for the tumult. 
Then two interesting possibilities came to his 
mind. Perhaps the Shawnees had suddenly 
turned upon Ho-sa-ha-ho and his white brother; 
perhaps Ho-sa-ha-ho had roused them for 
another war expedition against his foes. 

must find out about it,’’ said Black Cloud. 

At the end of another slow, cautious advance 
192 




UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


he reached the stockade at the rear of the camp. 
Alert to his peril, he raised his face toward the 
sky and made a silent appeal to Ha-wen-ne-yu. 

Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, help me in what I am about 
to do. 

Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, make me brave and strong. 

Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, make me sharper than the 
Shawnees. 

Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, let me live to see my people.” 

Then for some moments Black Cloud stood 
against the stockade, listening to the wild bed¬ 
lam of sounds which rose from the camp. He 
heard the dogs barking furiously, and he be¬ 
lieved that most of them were in the village. 
The thought gave him confidence, and he ad¬ 
vanced along the stockade. When he finally 
reached the end of it, he again stopped to listen. 
The murmur of women’s voices sounded from 
the other side of the stockade, and Black Cloud 
believed that he was close by a lodge. He turned 
the corner of the stockade and moved cautiously 
along the north side of the camp. The center of 
the camp was lighted by the glow from the fire, 
but the stockade was in the shadows. His ob¬ 
jective point was a long bowshot ahead of him. 

‘‘Pretty soon I will be there,” he told him¬ 
self, encouragingly. 


193 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


He covered half of the distance. Then he 
stopped. The most perilous part of his ap¬ 
proach was before him. The noise from the 
camp had suddenly ceased. Some one was ad¬ 
dressing the Shawnees. Convinced that his op¬ 
portunity was at hand, Black Cloud hastened 
forward. He had not gone a bow length when 
he was stopped by a low threatening snarl that 
sounded from the darkness a short distance at 
his right. This time he had no doubts. The 
ominous warning was unmistakable. At last he 
had met one of the dogs. Hastily fitting an ar¬ 
row to his bow, Black Cloud searched the 
shadows for the surly brute that threatened him 
with disaster. Then he again heard it growling, 
but was unable to see it. In a few moments he 
heard footfalls in the dry grass. Was it ap¬ 
proaching? Black Cloud waited in deadly sus¬ 
pense. Another low challenge came from the 
night. The Mohawk stood motionless, expect¬ 
ing, each moment, to hear the furious baying 
that would alarm the camp. Long, torturing 
moments passed, but the dog failed to approach. 
At last he heard it moving away toward the 
river. He believed it was returning to the camp. 
He moistened his fingers and tested the wind. 
It was scarcely perceptible, but continued from 
the river. Black Cloud drew a deep breath of 
194 




UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


relief. Then he suddenly raised his face toward 
the heavens. 

Great Ha-wen-ne-yu, I thank you,’^ he said, 
reverently. 

He waited until he believed the dog was well 
on its way, and then he advanced rapidly along 
the stockade, watching closely for the little 
opening between the logs. The man in the camp 
had ended his talk, and for a moment there was 
silence. Then another wild outburst of yells 
rose through the night. At that moment Black 
Cloud discovered the hole in the stockade. 

As he peeped eagerly into the camp, he saw 
a great company of Shawnee warriors assem¬ 
bled about the fire. They suddenly became silent 
as a swarthy, broad-shouldered man, attired in 
the gaudy dress of the Canadian voyageur, rose 
to address them. Black Cloud recognized him 
at once as Jacques Trouville or Ho-sa-ha-ho. A 
moment afterward he discovered Stockley 
seated among the warriors. Then Ho-sa-ha-ho 
began to talk in the Shawnee tongue. Black 
Cloud was entirely familiar with the dialect. 

‘‘Shawnees, your great chief has spoken big 
words,said Ho-sa-ha-ho. ‘^My heart feels 
good, for now I know that you trust me. It is 
good, my brothers. I have told you about our 
great fight with the boastful Mohawks. I have 
195 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


told you how we broke into their camp and 
killed many of their warriors. I have told you 
how we went down into the country of those 
white men and wiped out their villages. We 
have brought you the strong water to make you 
feel good. It is the drink for brave warriors. 
It is what makes the white men so strong. Well, 
my brothers, there is plenty more in their vil¬ 
lages. Pretty soon we will go down there to 
get it. I will lead your warriors. We will kill 
many of those white people and wipe out their 
villages. We will take many scalps. I have 
sent my Ojibwa brothers to awaken the fierce 
Hurons. I will bring them here to help you 
fight the white men. The Ojibwas will come 
with them. It will be a bigger war party than 
any of you have ever seen. Even your old men 
have never seen anything like it. No one will 
be able to stand against us. We will break 
down the forts of the white men, and kill the 
soldiers. Then we will destroy their villages 
and kill the people. When we have done that, 
we will turn against the Mohawks. They are 
the friends of those white men. We will destroy 
them. Then your people and my people will 
live as brothers. The Hurons and the Ojibwas 
will go back to their lodges, and there will be 
no one to disturb us.^^ 


196 



UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


Ho-sa-ha-ho paused to note the effect of his 
words. He glanced toward Stockley. The lat¬ 
ter jumped to his feet and yelled wildly. The 
wily bit of stratagem was entirely successful. 
Inflamed by the rum with which Trouville had 
supplied them, the excited Shawnees danced 
furiously about the fire, shouting their war cry 
and uttering insults and threats against their 
foes. Trouville laughed heartily. Black Cloud 
watched him with flashing eyes. The deceitful 
falsehoods had roused the fighting blood of the 
Mohawk, and if opportunity had offered, he 
would have driven his arrow through the heart 
of the man who had uttered them. As he saw 
the bewildered Shawnees staggering helplessly 
about the fire. Black Cloud understood the cause 
of the wild tumult which he had heard as he ap¬ 
proached the camp. Then Trouville suddenly 
raised his hand, and commanded silence. It 
was some moments, however, before the con¬ 
fused Shawnees finally obeyed him. 

‘^My brothers, continue to listen to my 
words, he said. ^‘When the sun appears I 
will set out on my journey to the great Huron 
camp. My white brother and these three brave 
Ojibwas will go with me. You must take us 
up the river in your canoes. It will save time. 
At the end of the day we will leave you and 
197 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


set out on our way toward the-place-where-the- 
sun-appears. You must not let those white men 
or their brothers the Mohawks find out what we 
propose to do. Keep close in your village until 
I bring the great war party. Now, my brothers, 
I have told you what I propose to do. ’ ’ 

As Trouville finished his talk, a tall powerful 
warrior, whom Black Cloud recognized as the 
Shawnee chief, rose unsteadily to his feet. For 
some moments he stared confusedly about the 
company, and appeared unable to rally his 
thoughts. At last, however, he recovered con¬ 
trol of himself, and began to talk. 

‘ ‘ My brother, you have given us big words, ’ ^ 
he said. ‘^However, we believe you will make 
these things come true. Now listen sharp to 
what I am about to say. I wish you to remain 
with us until the war party comes here. Send 
these Ojibwas to bring their brothers and the 
Hurons. ’ ’ 

^‘Yes, yes, send the Ojibwas,” cried the 
Shawnees. 

^^My brothers, it would be useless,” Trou¬ 
ville told them. am the only one who can 
bring that great war party together. If I do 
not go to the Huron camp, the Hurons and the 
Ojibwas mil remain in their lodges. They will 
wait for my words. If I remain here, we can- 
198 



UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


not do the great things which I have told you 
about. Now, my brothers, you see that I must 
go to the Huron camp.” 

‘‘Yes; now we see that you must go,” de¬ 
clared the Shawnee chief. 

Black Cloud smiled triumphantly. He lin¬ 
gered a moment to identify the three Ojibwa 
scouts, and he nodded significantly as he noted 
that neither Ho-sa-ha-ho nor his companions 
showed any effect of the wild debauch which 
had demoralized the Shawnees. 

“Ho-sa-ha-ho, you are too sharp for the 
foolish Shawnees, but I do not believe you are 
sharp enough for the Mohawks,” Black Cloud 
laughed, softly. 

Then, having learned what he wished to know, 
he turned from the stockade and vanished into 
the night. He went a bowshot toward the 
north, and then he turned toward the east. 
When he felt certain that he had passed the 
camp, he ran toward the place where he had 
left Stands Alone. As he finally drew near the 
base of the ridge he stopped, and imitated the 
bark of the little gray fox. Three times he re¬ 
peated the signal, and then he listened. Several 
moments passed. Then he heard an answer, 
some distance farther toward the north. He 
turned in that direction. When he came within 
199 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


easy bow range of the timber he again stopped 
and repeated the signal. Stands Alone replied, 
and Black Cloud advanced and found him wait¬ 
ing at the edge of the woods. 

Black Cloud, you have come back—^it is 
good,” Stands Alone said, heartily. ‘‘When I 
heard that great noise at the camp I believed 
the Shawnees had caught you. Pretty soon I 
was going over there to find out about it. Did 
you peep into the camp?” 

“My brother, I have found out what we 
wished to know,” said Black Cloud. “Ho-sa- 
ha-ho and his white brother are in the Shawnee 
camp. Three Ojibwa scouts are with them. 
When the sun comes, they will set out for the 
Huron camp. They will travel a day^s journey 
up the river in Shawnee canoes. Then Ho-sa- 
ha-ho will turn toward the-place-where-the-sun- 
appears. He has given the Shawnees the strong 
water. They are as mad as wolves that have 
tasted blood. Now, my brother, we must go to 
tell Achawi about it. The night is going. There 
is little time. Come. ’ ^ 

“I am ready,” replied Stands Alone. 

‘ ‘ The Shawnees are in their village; there is 
no danger, we will follow the Shawnee trail to 
the top of the ridge,” proposed Black Cloud. 
They had not gone far, however, when they 
200 




UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS 


heard sounds in the timber a short distance 
ahead of them. They stopped in their tracks 
and listened uneasily. Some one was approach¬ 
ing along the base of the ridge. 

‘‘Watch out,’^ whispered Black Cloud. 

Then they heard voices. The sounds were 
soft and low, and it was evident that the speak¬ 
ers were cautious and fearful of being heard. 
The Mohawks instantly became suspicious. 
They wondered if they had been discovered by 
Shawnee scouts who had been reconnoitering 
along the ridge. 

‘ ‘ If they come ahead, they will find us, ’ ^ whis¬ 
pered Stands Alone. 

“Sh,’’ breathed Black Cloud. 

The unknown prowlers were approaching. 
Black Cloud and Stands Alone were in despair. 
They feared to move, and yet they realized that 
if they remained where they were, they would 
be discovered. Then the footfalls ceased. A 
moment later they heard a familiar voice 
within several bow lengths of them. 

“Perhaps our brothers are nearby,’’ it said. 
“Kichkinet, make the signal.” 

“Dancing Wolf!” Black Cloud called, softly. 

“Hi, my brother, we have found you,” said 
Dancing Wolf. 

Then Dancing Wolf, and Kichkinet, and Lit- 
201 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


tie Bear, and Yellow Eagle emerged from the 
shadows. 

“My brothers, what brings you here?’’ Black 
Cloud asked, irritably. 

“We saw the great fire in the Shawnee camp, 
and heard the noise, and we believed the Shaw- 
nees had caught you,” said Kichkinet. “We 
came down here to help you. Now we see you 
are alive. It is enough.” 

“Black Cloud did you look into the Shawnee 
camp?” Little Bear asked, eagerly. 

“I have found out what we wish to know,” 
said Black Cloud. “ Ho-sa-ha-ho and his white 
brother are in that camp. When the sun comes 
they will leave. There is little time to talk. We 
must go to Achawi. Then I will tell you about 
it.” 

“Good, good,” said Dancing Wolf. 




CHAPTEE XVII 
THE ROUND UP 

D aylight was dose at hand when the 
Mohawks reached the top of the ridge, 
and turned toward the place where they had 
left Jim and Holcombe. As they approached, 
Kichkinet imitated the call of the little red owl. 
The answer came at once. A moment after¬ 
ward they met the white men. 

‘‘My brothers, I am glad to see you,^’ Jim 
said, joyously. “Black Cloud, To-nes-sa-ah and 
I have been troubled about you.’’ 

“Achawi, everything is good,” declared 
Black Cloud. “I have found out what you 
wished to know. Come, my brothers, we will sit 
down and talk about it. ’ ’ 

They formed the council circle, and Black 
Cloud began his story. 

“My brothers, I crawled up and peeped into 
the Shawnee camp,” he said. “I saw Ho-sa- 
ha-ho and his white brother, and three Ojibwas. 
Ho-sa-ha-ho has brought the strong water to 
the Shawnees. It has turned them into mad 
203 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


wolves. That is why you heard that great noise 
down there in the camp. 

‘^When I looked into the camp, I saw that 
Ho-sa-ha-ho was about to make a talk. ‘It is 
good,’ I said. ‘Now I will know what Ho-sa- 
ha-ho proposes to do. ’ Pretty soon he began to 
talk. He talked very big. He told the foolish 
Shawnees many lies. They believed his words. 
Now, my brothers, listen sharp while I tell you 
about it. 

“Ho-sa-ha-ho told the Shawnees that he led 
their warriors into our village and killed many 
of our people. He told them that he led their 
warriors down into the country of the Great 
White Chief and wiped out many villages. He 
told them that he brought the strong water from 
those villages. Then, my brothers, Ho-sa-ha-ho 
told the Shawnees that he was about to do some¬ 
thing bigger. He told them that he had sent the 
Ojibwas to awaken the Hurons. He said he 
would bring a great war party of Hurons and 
Ojibwas to the Shawnee camp. He said they 
would go down into the country of the Great 
White Chief, and break down the forts and kill 
the soldiers. He said they would wipe out the 
villages and kill many people. Then Ho-sa- 
ha-ho told the Shawnees that he would lead that 
great war party against my people.” 

204 



THE ROUND UP 


Black Cloud paused and looked searchingly 
at his companions. The Mohawks remained 
silent, but their eyes gave evidence of the wrath 
that raged in their hearts. Holcombe shook his 
head, and laughed softly. 

‘‘Jim, it ’pears like Trouville has set himself 
quite a job,” he said. 

Jim nodded thoughtfully. 

“Now, my brothers, I will tell you what Ho- 
sa-ha-ho proposes to do,” said Black Cloud. 
“When the sun comes, Ho-sa-ha-ho and his 
wliite brother and those three Ojibwas will go 
up the river in Shawnee canoes. At the end of 
the day they will leave the Shawnees, and set 
out toward the-place-where-the-sun-appears. 
They are going for a big talk with the Hurons 
and the Ojibwas. Ho-sa-ha-ho will ask them 
to strike the war post. 

“My brothers, continue to listen. The Shaw¬ 
nee chief asked Ho-sa-ha-ho to stay in the camp, 
and send the Ojibwas to bring the great war 
party. Here are the words of Ho-sa-ha-ho. He 
said, ‘My brothers, it would be useless. I am 
the only one who can bring this great war 
party together. If I do not go to the Huron 
camp, the Hurons and the Ojibwas will remain 
in their lodges. They will wait for my words. 
If I remain here, we cannot do the great things 
205 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


I have told you about.’ Now, my brothers, I 
have told you what Ho-sa-ha-ho proposes to 
do.” 

For some moments after Black Cloud had 
ended his talk, the little company of scouts kept 
silent. They appeared stunned by the boldness 
of the famous French half-breed. Then the Mo¬ 
hawks looked inquiringly at Jim. He was 
their leader, and they were awaiting his de¬ 
cision. 

‘‘Black Cloud, you have done a great thing,” 
said Jim. “Now we know what to do. My 
brothers, you have heard the words of Ho-sa- 
ha-ho. We must see that he does not reach the 
Huron camp. Much depends upon it. Now I 
will tell you what I propose to do. We will 
watch sharp until Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brothers 
leave the camp. Then we will follow them up 
the river. When Ho-sa-ha-ho leaves the Shaw- 
nees, we will follow after him. When it grows 
dark he will stop for the night. Then we will 
creep up and catch him. ’ ’ 

“It is good,” agreed the Mohawks. 

Daylight had come, and they rose and went 
to watch the Shawnee camp. It was quiet and 
lifeless. However, it was not long before peo¬ 
ple appeared from the lodges, and smoke rose 
above the stockade. A strong wind blew from 
206 



THE ROUND UP 


the north, and the river was rippled with white 
caps. 

‘‘Tronville an’ his friends will make slow 
headway agin’ this blow,” declared Holcombe. 

^‘It is true,” replied Kichkinet. *‘Ga-oh, the 
great Wind Maker, is helping us. Now it will 
be easy to keep up with the canoes. ’ ’ 

^‘Yes, it is the work of Ga-oh,” agreed the 
superstitious Mohawks. 

Then they watched silently until the sun ap¬ 
peared above the eastern ridges. Soon after¬ 
ward they saw the Shawnees moving toward the 
river. The entire tribe appeared to have as¬ 
sembled at the edge of the water, and it was 
not long before a confused medley of sounds 
rose from the valley. It was evident that Trou- 
ville was again rousing the Shawnees with his 
deceitful boasts. The Mohawks laughed scorn¬ 
fully. 

‘ ‘ Ho-sa-ha-ho is setting out to do a great 
thing, but I do not believe he will go far with 
it,” Black Cloud said, significantly. 

Those foolish Shawnees will wait a long 
time for him,” declared Stands Alone. 

‘‘Yes, yes,” laughed his companions. 

Jim kept silent. He realized that the safety 
of the settlements depended upon him and his 
little company of loyal Mohawk scouts. If by 
207 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


any chance Trouville eluded them and reached 
the Huron camp, Jim felt certain that the Eng¬ 
lish frontiers would be swept by a devastating 
Indian warfare that might threaten the very ex¬ 
istence of the colonies. He believed that Trou¬ 
ville was staking everything on a final desperate 
attempt to unite the hostile tribes in one great 
war party that would sweep aside the frontier 
garrisons and their Mohawk allies, and open a 
way for the French to send their troops against 
the prosperous settlements along the Mohawk 
and Hudson rivers. The thought made him 
serious. 

^‘Dan, Trouville is far more dangerous than 
I realized,’’ Jim said, soberly. ^‘We must get 
him at any cost. ’ ’ 

‘‘The chances favor us,” replied Holcombe. 

“See, Ho-sa-ha-ho is setting out,” Kichkinet 
cried, suddenly. 

Five canoes moved from the shore and turned 
up the river. There were three persons in each 
canoe. As they moved slowly on their way, the 
Shawnee war cry echoed shrilly between the 
hills, and the man in the center of the leading 
canoe waved his cap. 

“That must be Ho-sa-ha-ho,” Black Cloud 
said, savagely. 

“Come, my brothers,” cried Jim. 

208 





THE ROUND UP 


They moved along the top of the ridge which 
extended parallel with the river. They had 
little trouble in keeping abreast of their en¬ 
emies, for although there were two paddlers in 
each canoe, they made slow progress against 
the strong wind from the north. 

‘^It will be easy to keep up with them,’’ said 
Kichkinet. 

However, at midday they found that the 
ridge left the river and extended more to the 
eastward. They waited until the canoes had 
passed from sight around a turn of the shore, 
and then they descended to the lowland. They 
heard the low, rumbling warning of the rapids. 

‘Ht is good,” said Black Cloud. ^‘Now the 
Shawnees must come to land.” 

When they again came in sight of the canoes, 
they saw that the paddlers were approaching 
the shore to avoid a long stretch of turbulent 
water that barred their progress up the river. 
They were barely two long bowshots away, and 
the scouts had little difficulty in recognizing 
Trouville and Stockley and the three Ojibwas. 
They were accompanied by ten Shawnees. 
When they reached the shore, the Shawnees 
dragged the canoes from the water and carried 
them into the woods. A few moments after¬ 
ward Jim and his companions followed rapidly 
209 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


on their trail. The voices of the Shawnees 
sounded plainly through the woods, and their 
confidence filled the Mohawks with glee. Once 
past the rapids the Shawnees launched the 
canoes and continued up the river. The wind 
had increased to a gale, and the paddlers kept 
close to the shore to avoid the powerful blasts 
that swept down the center of the river. 

‘‘They’ll soon tire o’ this,” Holcombe told 
Jim. 

The day was barely two-thirds gone when the 
Shawnees ceased the struggle, and turned 
toward the shore. It appeared that Trouville 
had determined to abandon the river and take 
to the woods. The scouts watched with sharp 
interest while the Shawnees maneuvered to 
avoid smashing their canoes against the rocky 
shore. They were skillful canoemen, however, 
and they landed without mishap. Then they 
again dragged the canoes into the woods and 
sat down to talk with Trouville and his com¬ 
panions. The latter appeared in no hurry to 
begin the long journey to the Huron camp, and 
the sun was disappearing behind the western 
hills when they finally set out on their way. 

“Bon voyage, my friends,” Trouville called 
gayly. “Pretty soon I will return with my 
warriors.” 


210 




THE ROUND UP 


“Tharps another boast that’s unlikely to come 
true,” laughed Holcombe. 

sincerely hope so,” said Jim. 

They waited until the Shawnees were a safe 
distance down the river, and then they followed 
cautiously on the trail of Trouville and his com¬ 
panions who had turned toward the east. Trou¬ 
ville and Stockley were noisy travelers, and 
their loud, careless talk echoed through the 
woods, and made it easy to follow them. It 
was apparent that they saw little reason for 
caution. 

^‘They feel very safe,” said Kichkinet. 

Safer than they’ll feel a little later,” Hol¬ 
combe replied, grimly. 

Then, as the light slowly faded from the 
woods, they proceeded with more caution, for 
they believed that Trouville would soon stop 
to camp for the night. To prevent blundering 
unexpectedly upon their foes. Black Cloud and 
Dancing Wolf moved on in advance while their 
companions followed more slowly some distance 
behind them. The two scouts quickly returned 
and said that Trouville had stopped in a grove 
of hemlocks less than three bowshots away. 

‘^Yes; we heard them talking and laughing, 
and breaking sticks for a fire,” said Black 
Cloud. 


211 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Jim was elated at the announcement. The 
long search appeared to be drawing to an end, 
and he hoped before the night passed to have 
Trouville and Stockley in his hands. The Mo¬ 
hawks were impatient and eager to attack their 
foes without further delay. Jim promptly ob¬ 
jected. 

“My brothers, I am the leader, and you must 
listen to my words,’’ he said, sharply. “I pro¬ 
pose to wait here until our enemies lie down to 
sleep. Then we will creep up and overtake 
them.” 

“Achawi, you are the leader; we will do as 
you propose to do,” agreed Black Cloud. 

Soon afterward they heard the crackling of 
the fire, and then they smelled smoke. It was 
evident that Trouville and Stockley were more 
concerned for their comfort than for their 
safety. 

“My brothers, I am going to ask Kichkinet 
to creep up and watch our enemies, ’ ’ said Jim. 
“Then we will make sure that they cannot get 
away. When they lie down to sleep Kichkinet 
will come for us.” 

“I will go,” said Kichkinet. 

He left them and moved away in the direction 
of the fire. Then for a long time they sat in 
silence, waiting for the summons to advance 
212 




THE ROUND UP 


upon their foes. The night was half gone when 
Kichkinet returned. 

‘‘My brothers, the way is clear,’’ he said. 
‘ ‘ The fire has died down. Ho-sa-ha-ho and his 
brothers are asleep.” 

“It is good,” replied the Mohawks. 

“Mohawks, listen to my words,” said Jim. 
“We must keep together. If we separate, per¬ 
haps we will kill each other. Now we will go 
ahead. ’ ’ 

They followed noiselessly behind Kichkinet, 
who led the way toward the fire. It had burned 
to embers, but they saw it glowing feebly 
through the darkness. When they were within 
a short bowshot of the camp they stopped, and 
Kichkinet pointed out the spot where Trouville 
and Stockley were lying close beside the fire. 
He said that the Ojibwas were several bow 
lengths away, and that all were sleeping 
soundly. The Mohawks drew their tomahawks 
from their belts. Then they waited for the 
command to attack their foes. 

They advanced noiselessly toward the sleep¬ 
ers, and were almost upon them when a smold¬ 
ering ember suddenly snapped and awakened 
the Ojibwas. They sat up and discovered the 
scouts within a bow length of them. Eaising 
the alarm, they drew their knives and attempted 
213 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


to protect themselves. Black Cloud sank his 
tomahawk in the skull of one; Yellow Eagle 
killed another, and the third fled into the night 
with Dancing Wolf and Little Bear in close 
pursuit. 

In the meantime Jim, and Holcombe, and 
Kichkinet and Stands Alone had rushed upon 
Trouville and Stockley. Trouville fought 
valiantly before he was finally overpowered by 
Jim and Stands Alone, but Stockley surrendered 
in a panic of fear. Jim opened the buckskin 
bag which hung at his side and drew out a 
number of stout rawhide thongs, and then 
Stands Alone and Holcombe bound the wrists 
of their captives. They led them to the fire. 
Stands Alone threw fresh fuel upon the embers, 
and Trouville and Stockley suddenly recog¬ 
nized their captors. Stockley appeared be¬ 
wildered and frightened, but Trouville quickly 
regained his composure. 

‘ ‘ Ah, now I see who you are, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ Mes¬ 
sieurs, I salute you. ’ ^ 




CHAPTER XVIII 

OVERTAKEN BY THE SHAWNEBS 


T he Mohawks began to taunt and threaten 
the prisoners, and for a moment or so Jim 
had grave fears for their safety. Trouville 
showed little concern, but Stockley shrank back 
in fear as the Mohawks glared fiercely into his 
face, and threatened him with their knives. He 
recalled the sudden death of a former comrade 
who had been struck down while a prisoner in 
the Mohawk camp, and he saw the possibility 
of a similar fate for himself. Jim, however, 
kept close beside the prisoners, and made it 
plain to the Mohawks that he proposed to en¬ 
force his commands. Then he suddenly noted 
that Dancing Wolf and Little Bear were absent 
from the company. He ordered Trouville and 
Stockley to seat themselves beside the fire, and 
left Kichkinet and Holcombe to watch them. 
Then he called the other Mohawks and led them 
beyond hearing of the prisoners. 

‘^My brothers, what has happened to Dancing 
Wolf and Little BearT’ he asked, anxiously. 
^‘We are going to find out about it,’’ Black 
215 


CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Cloud told him. ‘‘I saw Dancing Wolf and 
Little Bear chasing that other Ojibwa into the 
woods. They were close behind him, and I be¬ 
lieved they would soon strike him down. They 
have not come back. It looks bad. We must 
try to find them.’’ 

‘ ‘ Go, my brothers, ’ ’ Jim told them. 

‘‘Achawi, if that Ojibwa has killed Dancing 
Wolf and Little Bear, we will come back and 
strike down Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brother,” Yel¬ 
low Eagle declared, threateningly. 

Jim kept silent. 

A moment later Black Cloud, and Yellow 
Eagle, and Stands Alone disappeared into the 
night. For a long time Jim stood by himself, 
meditating upon the ominous threat of Yellow 
Eagle. He was greatly disturbed by the disap¬ 
pearance of the two Mohawk scouts, for he felt 
certain that if they had been killed, their com¬ 
panions would attempt to take swift vengeance 
upon Trouville and Stockley. The thought sug¬ 
gested alarming possibilities, for as an officer 
and law abiding subject of his king, Jim believed 
it was his duty to protect the prisoners from 
violence until he delivered them to the authori¬ 
ties at Fort Johnson. He determined to per¬ 
form his duty even though it threatened his 
prestige with the Mohawks. Then, having made 
216 




OVERTAKEN BY THE SHAWNEES 


his decision, Jim returned to the fire. He found 
Holcombe and Kichkinet examining the rifles 
which they had taken from the captives. 

‘^Monsieur, eet ees a ver^ good weapon,’’ 
TrouvUle told Holcombe. ‘‘Eef my bans were 
free, I would show you how true she shoots. ’ ’ 

Holcombe looked up quickly as he caught the 
threat in the words of the half-breed. For an 
instant he stared angrily into the smiling face 
of his foe. When he spoke, however, his words 
were soft and calm. 

‘‘Frenchy, if you keep on talkin’ that way, 
mebbe I’ll be tempted to try out the weepon 
myself,” he said. 

Trouville shrugged his shoulders, and laughed 
lightly. He was about to say something more, 
but he suddenly caught the danger signal in the 
eyes of the scout and kept silent. Stockley ap¬ 
peared relieved. It was apparent that he had 
no desire to arouse the anger of his captors. 
Then Trouville turned to Jim. 

^ ‘ Monsieur Achawi, I— ’ ’ 

‘‘Silence!” Jim cried, angrily. “We wish 
no more of your talk.” 

Trouville winked at Stockley. The latter 
glanced uneasily at Jim. The mute, frightened 
appeal in his eyes, and his pale, anxious face 
proclaimed him a coward, and Jim looked upon 
217 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


him with scorn. Jim motioned for Dan to fol¬ 
low him from the fire. Then he spoke to Knch- 
kinet. 

‘‘Mohawk, if these men attempt to rise, shoot 
them at once,' ^ he said. 

“I will watch them,’’ said Kichkinet. 

Jim and Holcombe moved away. When they 
were beyond earshot, they stopped. Then Jim 
told Dan of his fears. 

“Dan, I am greatly troubled about Dancing 
Wolf and Little Bear,” he said. 

Holcombe kept silent. 

“If anything has happened to them, I fear it 
will be difficult to save our prisoners from the 
wrath of the Mohawks,” Jim told him. 

“Jim, they’re desarvin’ o’ whatever befalls 
’em,” Dan said, savagely. 

“That is very true,” agreed Jim. “I have 
little doubt that both will receive the death 
penalty when they come before a court martial 
at Fort Johnson. However, my duty as an offi¬ 
cer in the service of the king compels me to 
afford them protection as prisoners of war. 
Dan, I am determined to uphold the honor of 
the service at any cost. ’ ’ 

It was some moments before Holcombe spoke. 
He appeared to be carefully considering the 
possibilities. Jim waited for his reply. 

218 




OVERTAKEN BY THE SHAWNEES 


‘‘Jim, lad, I like your spirit, an’ what’s more 
I believe you’re right about this thing, but I 
fear you’ll have a bad break with the Mohawks. 
You know, as well as I do, that Injun ways are 
different from the ways of white men. It’s hard 
to make ’em see that our ways are sometimes 
best. If the Ojibwa has killed Dancing Wolf 
and Little Bear, which I disbelieve, it’ll be 
hard to save those scamps who are to blame 
for it.” 

“Nevertheless, Dan, you will help me,” Jim 
said, earnestly. 

“Yes, Jim, you can figure on that,” Dan told 
him. ‘ ‘ However, I’d feel powerful bad to break 
our friendship with the Mohawks on account o’ 
two worthless rogues that would kill us this 
minute if they found the chance.” 

“Dan, have no fear,” Jim assured him. “I 
shall take every precaution against losing the 
friendship of our loyal allies.” 

“I hope so,” Dan said, heartily. 

At that moment the Mohawks returned from 
their search. Jim was relieved to see Dancing 
Wolf and Little Bear in the company. The 
Mohawks, however, appeared depressed and ill 
at ease. 

“It is bad,” Black Cloud said, irritably. 

“What has happened?” inquired Jim. 

219 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Dancing Wolf will tell you about it/’ re¬ 
plied Black Cloud. 

“Acbawi, we were chasing that Ojibwa 
through the woods and I was close behind him,” 
said Dancing Wolf. “My brother, Little Bear, 
was close behind me. Then I stepped into a 
hole and fell down. Little Bear fell on top of 
me. We jumped up and listened sharp. We 
could not hear the Ojibwa. Then we looked 
all around. We could not find him. I do not 
know what became of him. We kept looking 
to find him. Then we turned back and 
pretty soon we met our brothers. Then we 
came here.” 

“Jim, we’d best get goin’ as soon as we can,” 
said Dan. “That Ojibwa will make hot tracks 
for the Shawnee camp. By sun up thar’ll be a 
Shawnee war party on our trail.” 

“It is true,” declared Black Cloud. 

“Black Cloud, what is the shortest distance 
to your village ? ’ ’ Jim asked, eagerly. 

“Three sun’s travel,” replied Black Cloud. 

“Lead us,” said Jim. 

They moved to the fire, and Jim commanded 
the prisoners to rise. Stockley looked nervously 
at the scowling Mohawks. Kichkinet glanced 
inquiring toward Dancing Wolf. The latter 
shook his head. Then Kichkinet went to Jim. 

220 




OVERTAKEN BY THE SHAWNEES 


‘‘That Ojibwa got away,’’ Jim said, cau¬ 
tiously. 

“It is bad,” declared Kichkinet. “He will 
bring the Shawnees. ’ ’ 

At that moment Trouville made a taunting 
remark to Black Cloud, and the Mohawk struck 
him to the ground. Then as the Mohawks 
crowded threateningly about the prisoners, Jim 
rushed into the company. He stood over Trou¬ 
ville and shook a warning finger in his face. 

“Rise to your feet, and silence your tongue, 
or the Mohawks will silence it forever,” he said. 

Stockley was in a frenzy of fear. He called 
to Jim for protection. 

“Mason, as a white man, save me from these 
savages,” he implored. 

“Stockley, you miserable coward, I despise 
you,” Jim said, contemptuously. 

A moment afterward they began the long 
journey toward the Mohawk camp. Black Cloud 
led the way with Stands Alone and Yellow 
Eagle, Jim kept close to the prisoners, with 
Holcombe and Kichkinet, and Dancing Wolf and 
Little Bear followed. They had not gone far 
before they discovered that Trouville was drag¬ 
ging his feet and leaving a telltale trail behind 
him. Jim seized him and whirled him about. 
Dancing Wolf and Little Bear pressed forward. 

221 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Trouville, I am attempting to save you in 
order that you may have a fair trial at the 
hands of white men,’’ said Jim. ‘‘However, if 
you give further trouble, either by word or act, 
I shall be tempted to turn you over to the Mo¬ 
hawks to receive the fate which you so well de¬ 
serve at their hands. Now hurry forward, and 
attempt no more treachery. ’ ’ 

Trouville raised his brows inquiringly. 

“Monsieur Achawi, my legs are tired,” he 
laughed. 

“Get on thar!” shouted Holcombe. 

Trouville moved forward. They kept close 
watch on him, but he appeared to have heeded 
the warning. When they had gone some dis¬ 
tance, Jim called Dancing Wolf and Little Bear 
to walk behind the prisoners. 

“Now, Trouville, your life is in your own 
hands,” said Jim. 

Trouville failed to reply. Jim and Holcombe 
dropped back to talk. 

“He’s a tricky snake, an’ we’ve got to watch 
him every minute, ’ ’ said Dan. ‘ ‘ Thar’s no need 
to worry about Stockley, but I’m uneasy about 
what Trouville may do if the Shawnees come 
up with us. ’ ’ 

“Then you feel quite certain that they will 
send a war party on our trail?” 

222 




OVERTAKEN BY THE SHAWN EES 


Dan nodded. 

‘‘We have a full day’s lead,” Jim said, hope¬ 
fully. 

“I’m not so sartin o’ that,” Holcombe told 
him. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean that if the Ojibwa struck the Shaw¬ 
nee camp at sun up or a little after, as I figure 
he did, a war party is already on the move. 
He’ll tell ’em whar he left us, an’ they’U cut 
across country an’ save considerable time. The 
sun has been up some time, an’ I figure they’ll 
strike our trail before it goes down.” 

Alarmed at the possibility, they traveled 
steadily through the day and far into the night. 
It was almost dawn when they finally stopped 
beside a little spring. Shortly after sunrise they 
continued the journey. Then Black Cloud 
turned farther to the southward, and Kichkinet 
declared that he was making directly toward 
the Mohawk camp. 

“Before the next sun goes down we will be 
there,” he said. 

“Much may happen before that,” Jim re¬ 
plied, soberly. 

Later in the day Dancing Wolf and Little 
Bear dropped behind the company to watch for 
the Shawnees. Shortly before sunset Little 
223 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Bear came back, and reported that he had heard 
signals to the westward. 

^‘Go fast, my brothers, for I believe the 
Shawnees are close behind us,^^ he said. ^‘Danc¬ 
ing Wolf is waiting to find out about it.’’ 

Jim sent Holcombe and Little Bear to watch 
the prisoners, and then he called the other Mo¬ 
hawks for a council. 

‘‘My brothers, Little Bear has heard sig¬ 
nals, ’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘ He believes the Shawnees are 
close behind us. We are in great danger. Come, 
speak fast, and tell me how you feel about it.” 

“Achawi, I will lead you to a place where we 
can make a big fight,” said Black Cloud. “I 
stood off many Delawares in that place. It is 
over there on that ridge ahead of us. There is 
little time to talk. Come, my brothers. ’ ’ 

At that moment Dancing Wolf arrived. He 
was breathing heavily and appeared greatly ex¬ 
cited. 

“My brothers, the Shawnees are almost 
here! ” he cried. “We must get ready to fight. ’’ 

“Not yet, not yet,’’ cried Black Cloud. ‘‘Fol¬ 
low me.” 

Trouville and Stockley were quick to guess 
the significance of the sudden excitement, and 
Trouville sought to cause delay. He stumbled 
and pretended to have dislocated his ankle, but 
224 




OVERTAKEN BY THE SHAWNEES 


Holcombe cocked his rifle, and prepared to 
shoot, and the wily half-breed instantly re¬ 
covered and ran without difficulty. Then, as 
they finally reached the base of the ridge and 
scrambled wildly up the rocky slope, they sud¬ 
denly heard the Shawnee war cry ringing 
through the woods. 

‘‘They have discovered us,’’ cried Jim. 

“Faster, faster,” shouted Black Cloud. 

Trouville and Stockley had great difficulty in 
making the climb with their hands bound be¬ 
hind them, but Jim and Holcombe assisted them 
over the rough spots and kept them on their 
feet. Once Trouville hesitated and glanced 
back toward the Shawnees, but Jim warned 
him, and he kept silent. A few moments later 
they gained the shelter. It was a deep cavern 
in the side of a high ledge. They clambered 
eagerly over the barricade of rocks which Black 
Cloud had erected against the Delawares, and 
then they prepared to fight off the Shawnees. 

“Now we are ready for them,” panted Black 
Cloud, as he crouched behind the breastwork. 




CHAPTER XIX 

KICHKINET SLIPS AWAY 

H aving reached tlieir goal, Jim and Hol¬ 
combe felt more hopeful. They took the 
prisoners to the rear of the cavern, and or¬ 
dered them to lie down. Then, after they had 
bound their ankles and warned them against 
making an outcry, they left them and hastened 
to join the Mohawks, who were watching silently 
behind the barricade. The place afforded ideal 
protection, for to reach them the Shawnees 
would be compelled to advance directly up the 
steep rocky side of the ridge. 

They ^11 be cautious about tryin’ it in day¬ 
light,’^ said Holcombe. 

The Shawnees had suddenly become silent, 
and the Mohawks believed they had stopped at 
the base of the ridge. Then Black Cloud dis¬ 
covered something moving through the under¬ 
growth, a short distance down the slope. He 
warned his companions, and they watched 
closely. In a few moments they saw a warrior 
peeping cautiously over the top of a rock. 

226 


RICH KIN ET SLIPS AWAY 


‘'There he said Stands Alone. “He is 
trying to find out about this place.’’ 

Holcombe aimed his rifle, and, as the head of 
the Shawnee again appeared above the rock, he 
fired. The Shawnee rose to his knees, spread 
his arms, and toppled backward into the under¬ 
growth. 

“That’s the last o’ Ziiw/’ Holcombe said, 
grimly. 

The Mohawks raised the war cry. They were 
answered with wdld shouts from the Shawnees. 
The fight had actually begun. It w^as a long 
time, however, before the Mohawks saw any¬ 
thing more of their foes. Then they saw a war¬ 
rior suddenly rise from the bushes and run to 
cover behind a tree. He was more cautious than 
his unfortunate comrade, and the Mohawks 
w^ere unable to discover him as he peeped 
around the tree to examine the ledge. They 
wished Holcombe to shoot at the tree and 
frighten the Shawnee from his hiding place. 
Holcombe shook his head. 

“It would be a waste o’ powder an’ lead, an’ 
we’re likely to need plenty o’ both before we 
get away from here,” he said. 

A few moments later they saw the Shawnee 
retreating cautiously from tree to tree until he 
227 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


finally disappeared into a dense growth of sap¬ 
lings farther down the ridge. 

‘^Now they’ll wait for night,” declared Hol¬ 
combe. 

‘‘Yes, they will creep up here when it gets 
dark,” replied Black Cloud. 

They were eager to learn the strength of the 
war party, but the Shawnees refused to show 
themselves before darkness finally closed down. 
Then the Mohawks heard them talking and sing¬ 
ing their war songs somewhere along the base 
of the ridge. The sounds made it plain that the 
Shawnees were strong in numbers, and the Mo¬ 
hawks realized that they were in a perilous pre¬ 
dicament. 

“There are many Shawnees down there, but 
we will keep them off,” Stands Alone said, con¬ 
fidently. 

“We must not feel too sure about it,” Black 
Cloud cautioned him. 

“That is true,” agreed Jim. 

The night was black and starless, and they 
were unable to see a bowshot beyond the barri¬ 
cade. They realized that it would be easy for 
the Shawnees to approach close to the ledge 
without being discovered. 

“We must listen sharp,” said Jim. 

Soon afterward they were surprised to hear 
228 




RICH KIN ET SLIPS AWAY 


some one calling out in the Mohawk tongue. 
The speaker appeared to be within bow range 
of the ledge, and his words sounded plainly 
through the night. 

^^Hi, you Mohawks,’’ he called. ^‘Listen 
sharp to my words. I am Big Hawk, the great 
war chief of the Shawnees. I have climbed up 
here to give you a chance for your lives. You 
have killed our brother and carried away our 
friends. We are very mad about it. My war¬ 
riors are ready to rush up there and kill you. 
I have held them back. I said, ^We have come 
here to carry otf our friends. If we do that, it 
will be enough. ’ That is why I am giving you 
a chance for your lives. Now, Mohawks, listen 
close to my words. If you let our friends walk 
down to us, we will go away and leave you to 
return to your village. If you close your ears 
to my words, we will climb up there and kill 
you. Now, Mohawks, tell me what you propose 
to do.” 

The Mohawks greeted the proposal with 
shouts of derision. Then Jim called out 
sharply, and they became silent. A moment 
afterward he replied to the Shawnee chief. 

‘ ‘ Shawnee, your words are bad, ’ ’ he said. ^ ^ It 
is true that we have carried off Ho-sa-ha-ho and 
his white brother. They have killed many of 
229 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 

our people and burned our villages. They have 
told you many lies about us. They are fooling 
you, as they tried to fool the brave Mohawks. 
If you listen to their words, they will bring 
many bad days upon you, and many of your 
warriors will be killed. My people and their 
Mohawk brothers will stand together. They are 
too strong for you. Stay in your hunting 
grounds, and no one will harm you. Ho-sa-ha- 
ho and his white brother have made trouble be¬ 
tween my people and your people. It is what 
they set out to do. They wish to give your 
hunting grounds to the fierce Hurons and their 
brothers the French. 

*^Now, Sha\vnee, give these words to your 
warriors. We do not propose to give up Ho-sa- 
ha-ho and his white brother. We propose to 
take them to our Great White Chief. You will 
never see them again. If you come up here to 
fight us, many of you will be killed, for we pro¬ 
pose to fight to the end. Before we die we mil 
surely kill Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brother, so that 
it will do you no good to throw away your lives. 
Shawnees, go back to your lodges, and think no 
more of these bad white men. Then we will go 
away and leave you in peace. I am Achawi, the 
leader of the brave Mohawks, and I propose to do 
as J have told you. Shawnee, I have finished. ^ ’ 
230 





KICHKINET SLIPS AWAY 


^‘Hi, hi, Achawi has spoken the words of a 
great chief,’’ cried Yellow Eagle. 

The Shawnee, however, kept silent. The Mo¬ 
hawks listened suspiciously. Many moments 
passed. Then they heard the murmur of voices. 
They knew that the Sha'wnees were discussing 
the words of Achawi. They talked a long time. 
Then the voice of the Shawnee chief again 
sounded through the night. 

Achawi, I have told your words to my 
brothers,” he said. ‘^We have talked a long 
time about it. Now we see that what you have 
told us is good. Tell your brothers that we are 
going back to our lodges. Go to your village. 
The way is clear. ’ ’ 

Trouville attempted to call out, but Holcombe 
had stationed himself beside the prisoners as 
Jim began to talk, and a sharp blow on the 
mouth quickly silenced the half-breed. 

‘Ht is a trick,” said Black Cloud. ^‘The 
Shawnees are trying to draw us out of this 
place to kill us. ’ ’ 

Watch out, my brother,” Kichkinet cau¬ 
tioned Jim. 

‘ ‘ Mohawk, I am not foolish enough to believe 
those words,” Jim told him. 

^‘Well, Achawi, I am waiting for your 
words,” the Shawnee cried, impatiently. 

231 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘‘Big Hawk, your words are good,’’ said Jim. 
“Go to your lodges. AVheii the sun comes, we 
will look around. If we do not find you, we will 
go to our village.” 

“It is good,” replied the Shawnee. 

“Now, Mohawks, watch out,” said Jim. 

They were convinced that the Shawnees were 
attempting to deceive them, and they believed 
that at any moment they might suddenly rush 
from the darkness and attack the ledge. For 
some moments, however, they heard nothing to 
confirm their suspicions. Then they heard the 
Shawnees moving away through the woods. 
They were talking noisily, and it was evident 
that they wished to be heard. The Mohawks 
laughed heartily. 

“They have sent some scouts over there to 
make us believe they are going away,” said 
Kichkinet. “Many warriors are waiting down 
there in the woods below us.” 

“It is another trick,” Jim told him. 

The sounds gradually grew faint, and finally 
died out in the distance. Then for a long time 
all was still. The Mohawks kept grim, silent 
vigil behind the barricade. 

“Jim lad, if the Shawnees mean business, 
we’re in a tight fix,” Holcombe said, uneasily. 
“They may keep us holed up here for several 
232 



KICHKINET SLIPS AWAY 


days. I’m uneasy about it. Thar’s no water, 
an’ I’ll wager the Shawnees know it. That’s 
likely what they’re figurin’ on to beat us.” 

‘‘I have been thinking of that,” replied Jim. 

Kichkinet joined them. 

“My brothers, I am going to bring my 
people,” he said, quietly. “It is the only thing 
to do. The Shawnees are very mad. They will 
stay here a long time. Perhaps many days will 
pass. There is no water. It is bad. Pretty 
soon some of those Shawnees will climb up to 
the top of the ridge to catch us if we go out 
when the sun comes. If we wait, it will be too 
late. I must go.” 

“Kichkinet, you are very brave,” said Jim. 
“Have you told your brothers what you pro^ 
pose to do?” 

“Yes, I have told them about it. They say it 
is the only thing to do. ’ ’ 

“Then I will say nothing against it,” said 
Jim. 

A few moments later Kichkinet crawled over 
the barricade and disappeared into the night. 
His companions listened anxiously. They be¬ 
lieved that if he succeeded in crossing the top 
of the ridge he would be safe. However, they 
had grave fears that Shawnee scouts might al- 
233 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


ready have climbed up there to watch. As the 
moments passed and they heard nothing ‘to 
awaken their fears, they began to hope that 
Kichkinet had escaped. The possibility filled 
them with joy. 

‘‘Dan, I believe the Mohawk has crossed the 
ridge,said Jim. 

“It begins to look like it,’’ replied Holcombe. 

He had barely spoken when they were 
aroused by a piercing shout from the top of the 
ridge, and a moment afterward a rifle shot 
roared through the woods. The Mohawks 
turned to one another in alarm. 

“Perhaps the Shawnees have killed our 
brother!” cried Black Cloud. 

“Oh, Dan, do you believe it?” Jim asked, 
fearfully. 

“They shot at him—^mebbe he got away,” 
Holcombe replied, hopefully. “An Injun is far 
better with a bow than a rifle. Besides, the 
night is dark. Mebbe they heard him an’ shot 
at the sound. Anyway, let’s hope.” 

They were interrupted by a warning cry from 
the Mohawks. 

“I heard some one moving out there,” Black 
Cloud told them. 

They listened closely but the noise had 
stopped. It was not long before they heard it 
234 




KICHKINET SLIPS AWAY 


again. Some one was moving stealthily through 
the bushes. 

‘‘Watch out, my brothers, perhaps it is Kich- 
kinet,’^ whispered Black Cloud. 

“Dan, he may have been wounded,^’ said Jim. 

Then they heard a low, soft signal. It had 
sounded close at hand. The Mohawks became 
suspicious. 

“It is not our brother,’^ they said. 

The scouts cocked their rifles; the Mohawks 
fitted arrows to their bows. They believed that 
the Shawnees had crept cautiously up the ridge, 
and were about to make an attack. Fearful that 
those hated foes had killed Kichkinet, they 
waited eagerly for the opportunity to avenge 
him. 

Then the Shawnee war cry echoed along the 
ridge, and a great company of warriors rushed 
toward the barricade. The scouts fired their 
rifles and then laid them aside and drew their 
tomahawks. The Shawnees attempted to clam¬ 
ber over the low breastwork at the entrance to 
the shelter, and a desperate hand to hand strug¬ 
gle followed. Jim saw a dark form suddenly 
rise before him. The Shawnee struck savagely 
with his tomahawk, but Jim jumped aside and 
escaped the blow. Before the Shawnee recov¬ 
ered his balance, Jim struck him to the ground. 

235 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Holcombe had vanquished another foe. The 
Mohawks were fighting like enraged panthers. 
Strive as they might, their foes were unable to 
drive them from the barricade. Then, as they 
realized that the effort was useless, the Shaw- 
nees lost heart and retreated down the side of 
the ridge. The Mohawks had escaped without 
loss, but they found little satisfaction in their 
victory. They believed that Kichkinet had been 
either killed or captured by his foes, and their 
hearts were heavy with grief. 

‘‘It is bad, it is bad,’^ Black Cloud said, 
solemnly. 

They watched silently through the night, but 
the Shawnees failed to renew the fight. At day¬ 
light the Mohawks looked anxiously through 
the woods but saw nothing of their foes. It 
was evident that the Shawnees had carried off 
their dead and wounded comrades under cover 
of the darkness. Then for a long time the Mo¬ 
hawks listened for sounds at the base of the 
ridge. They heard nothing but the noisy chat¬ 
ter of a squirrel. 

“I believe the Shawnees are watching to see 
if we are foolish enough to come out,’^ said 
Stands Alone. 

“Yes, they are close by,^’ declared Little 
Bear. 


236 




KICHKINET SLIPS AWAY 


As there appeared to be little danger of 
another attack before dark, they determined to 
take turns at watching so that all might have 
an opportunity to sleep. Jim, however, found 
the effort useless. His anxiety for Enchkinet 
made sleep impossible. Throughout the long 
day he sat silently behind the barricade, think¬ 
ing of the devoted comrade who, he feared, had 
sacrificed his life in an endeavor to save his 
friends. 

However, when the day finally came to an 
end, Jim again turned his thoughts upon the 
Shawnees. He realized that his duty as the 
leader of the little company of scouts required 
him to make every effort to extricate them from 
their predicament. Besides, somewhere in the 
black depths of despair which filled his heart 
there still flickered a feeble ray of hope which 
refused to die. 

At the approach of darkness the Mohawks 
again stationed themselves at the entrance to 
the cavern to watch for their foes. It was not 
long before they heard them exchanging sig¬ 
nals. They appeared to have separated. 

^‘It is the scouts who were watching on top 
of the ridge,said Black Cloud. ‘^Now they 
are going to join the war party. Pretty soon 
they will begin the fight.’’ 

237 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Mohawk, I believe you are right,’’ agreed 
Jim. 

Soon afterward they again heard voices at 
the base of the ridge. Then the Shawnees be¬ 
gan to taunt, and challenge, and sing their 
boastful war songs. Having learned that their 
foes were too sharp to fall into their trap, it 
was evident that they considered it useless to 
make further attempts to deceive them. 

‘^See, Mohawks, we are still here,” they 
shouted. ‘^We have killed your brother, and 
pretty soon we will climb up there to kill you. ’ ’ 

‘‘My brothers, you have heard the words of 
the Shawnees,” cried Black Cloud. “Now get 
ready to fight as you have never fought be¬ 
fore.” 

Having made their threats, the Shawnees had 
suddenly become silent. The Mohawks be¬ 
lieved that they were preparing to advance up 
the ridge.. It was a long time before they 
finally heard them. Then they again heard the 
signal which had preceded the other attack. 

“Get ready, my brothers, they are here,” 
said Black Cloud. 

“We are ready for them,” replied the Mo¬ 
hawks. 

At that instant the Mohawk war cry rose de¬ 
fiantly through the night. Then they heard 
238 




RICH KIN ET SLIPS AWAY 


their tribesmen rushing down the side of the 
ridge upon the astounded Shawnees. 

‘‘Our brothers are here—^Kichkinet is alive 
Jim cried, wildly. 

The excited Mohawks scrambled over the bar¬ 
ricade and rushed away to join in the fight. 
They had barely gone before Kichkinet reached 
the ledge. 

“Achawi, I have brought a great war party,’’ 
he said. “Listen. Our brothers are chasing 
the Shawnees through the woods.” 

Jim seized the hand of the Mohawk and 
danced for joy. It was some moments before 
he was able to control his emotion. 

“My brother, we believed the Shawnees had 
killed you,” he said. 

“A scout heard me and fired his gun, but he 
did not touch me, ’ ’ laughed Kichkinet. 




CHAPTER XX 
SONGS OF VICTORY 

D awn was breaking when the victorious 
Mohawks finally returned to the ledge. 
They had administered another crushing defeat 
to the Shawnees, and they climbed the ridge in 
high spirits, shouting, and laughing, and sing¬ 
ing their war songs. Trouville and Stockley lis¬ 
tened uneasily. The latter was filled with panic. 
He had been condemned to death in the Mohawk 
camp two years before, for his part in the 
treacherous killing of an aged Mohawk war¬ 
rior, but had escaped under mysterious and 
baffling circumstances. Now he felt certain that 
the Mohawks would lose little time in putting 
him to death. He turned his terror-stricken 
face toward Jim. 

‘‘Mason, these Mohawks will kill me as sud¬ 
denly as they killed Granger,’^ he whimpered. 
“You believe I had a hand in killing that old 
Mohawk, but I swear that Granger alone 
planned it. Mason, as a man of my own color 
and blood, I beg you to save me.” 

Jim looked in silent contempt upon the cower- 
240 


SONGS OF VICTORY 


ing bully who for several years had played a 
conspicuous part in the barbarous attacks along 
the colonial frontiers. Stockley had been the 
friend and accomplice of such notorious 
scamps as La Valle and Granger and Trouville. 
Born and reared in the English settlements, he 
and Granger had soon developed into idle, 
roystering bullies upon whom the industrious 
settlers looked with contempt. Then, chafing 
under the restraint and responsibilities of civil¬ 
ization, they had turned from the settlements 
and attempted to establish themselves as 
traders with the Indians. It was not long be¬ 
fore their injustice and brutality caused serious 
trouble for the colonists. As a result. Granger 
and Stockley were driven from the Indian 
camps, and at once began their career of out¬ 
lawry. Turning against their own people, they 
enlisted to serve the French, and were em¬ 
ployed to antagonize the friendly Mohawks, and 
guide marauding war parties of northern In¬ 
dians to the colonial frontiers. La Valle and 
Granger had already paid the penalty with 
their lives. Stockley whimpered and cringed as 
he saw a similar fate drawing upon himself. 
The man’s abject cowardice filled Jim with dis¬ 
gust, and he turned away and went to meet the 
Mohawks who had arrived at the barricade. 

241 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


Where is Ho-sa-ha-ho and his white 
brother demanded the Mohawks. 

Then they suddenly discovered them lying in 
the shadows at the rear of the ledge. They 
crowded forward to see them, and Stockley 
cried out in terror. Jim and Holcombe and 
Kichkinet kept sharp watch as the angry Mo¬ 
hawks murmured threateningly against the 
prisoners. Several of the younger warriors 
drew their knives, but Jim quickly confronted 
them. 

‘‘My brothers, take care what you do,’^ he 
said, sharply. “I am your leader, and you 
must listen to my words. I propose to take Ho- 
sa-ha-ho and his brother to the Great White 
Chief. He has sent me here to find them. Now 
I propose to do as he has told me to do. You 
must not try to stop me. Those men have done 
many bad things. My brothers, the Great 
White Chief will know how to punish them.^’ 

Jim paused and looked calmly into the angry 
eyes of the Mohawks. An excitable young war¬ 
rior mumbled threateningly and pressed for¬ 
ward, but Kichkinet drew him back. Then he 
turned to his companions. 

“My brothers, I have told you what Achawi 
proposes to do,^’ he said. “You all know that 
he must do as the Great White Chief has told 
242 




SONGS OF VICTORY 


him to do. Why do you talk about it ? We have 
come here to help him. Achawi is our brother. 
We must do as he tells us to do.’’ 

‘^My brothers, we are talking like foolish old 
women,” said Black Cloud. ‘‘You have heard 
the words of Achawi. He is our leader. We 
will stop talking and do as he says.” 

The Mohawks showed signs of yielding. Jim 
was quick to seize his opportunity. 

‘ ‘ My brothers, lead the way to your village, ’ ’ 
he cried. “I am tired and wish to go to my 
lodge and sleep. Then we will sit at the council 
fire and I will tell your people about Kichkinet, 
and Black Cloud, and Stands Alone, and Yellow 
Eagle, and Dancing Wolf, and Little Bear. 
They were very brave. If they had not come to 
help me, I could not have done this thing. I 
will tell your great chief Ha-yo-went-ha how 
you rushed through the night and frightened 
away the Shawnees. I have much to talk about. 
Come, my brothers, we must go.” 

“It is good,” cried the Mohawks. 

The day had almost ended when they ap¬ 
proached the Mohawk camp. Several young 
warriors ran ahead to announce their arrival, 
and then the war party advanced slowly toward 
the village, shouting the war cry and singing 
their songs of victory. Stockley appeared to be 
243 



CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


on the verge of collapse, but Trouville showed 
no fear. 

‘‘We^11 have to watch sharp when we reach 
the camp,^^ Holcombe warned Jim. “The old 
women an^ the boys will start the fracas, an^ be¬ 
fore they get through the whole tribe may jine 
in.’’ 

“Ha-yo-went-ha ^vill stop them,” Jim said, 
assuringly. 

As they drew near the stockade they found 
the camp already astir with excitement. The 
warriors who had been left to guard the village 
marched out to meet the war party, and behind 
them followed the old men, the women and boys, 
and a noisy company of dogs. Most of the 
women and boys carried sticks, and it was plain 
that they intended to attack the captives. For 
some moments all was noise and confusion. 
Jim halted the war party, and addressed the 
excited throng from the camp. 

“Mohawks, stop and listen to my words,” he 
cried. “A great day has come. We have again 
overcome the Shawnees, and caught Ho-sa-ha- 
ho and his white brother. We have brought 
them to your camp so that you may see them.” 

The Mohawks greeted the announcement with 
wild shouts of approval. It was some time be¬ 
fore Jim was able to continue his talk. 

244 




SONGS OF VICTORY 


‘^Wait, my friends, I have not finished,’’ he 
said. ‘‘Listen sharp to my words. We are 
about to enter your village. We are going to 
the lodge of your great chief Ha-yo-went-ha. 
I see that many of you have sticks to beat the 
prisoners. You must not harm them before we 
bring them to the lodge of your chief. I have 
told your warriors about it. They will see that 
you do as I tell you to do. 

“Come, my brothers, now we will go ahead.” 

The old women, and many of the boys 
crowded boldly into the war party and struck 
the prisoners. The warriors made little effort 
to protect them. Trouville laughed scornfully 
as the frenzied women beat him about the head 
and shoulders, but Stockley cringed and called 
out in alarm. 

“Mason, they are killing me!” he cried. 

Jim turned about in anger. 

“My brothers, drive away those foolish 
women, ’ ’ he commanded. 

The Mohawks dispersed the women and boys, 
and a few moments afterward the war party en¬ 
tered the camp. They marched toward the 
lodge of Ha-yo-went-ha, singing the war songs, 
and the entire tribe followed noisily behind 
them. They found Ha-yo-went-ha and Da-yo- 
ho-go, the Medicine Man, and Short Hog, and 
245 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


aged Da-go-no-we-da assembled before the 
lodge to receive them. 

Great Chief, your warriors have overcome 
the Shawnees, and we have caught Ho-sa-ha-ho 
and his brother, ’ ’ said Jim. ‘ ^ The Great White 
Chief has asked me to bring them to his vil¬ 
lage.’^ 

‘‘Achawi, you have done another big thing, 
said Ha-yo-went-ha. ‘‘You are a great war 
leader. Pretty soon it will be dark. Then we 
will light the council fire.’^ 

“It is good,’’ replied Jim. “Now I will take 
Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brother to my lodge.” 

“Wait!” shouted old Da-yo-ho-go. 

He rushed to Stockley and glared fiercely into 
his face. Stockley drew back in fear, and the 
Mohawks laughed at him. 

“You fooled me once, but you will never fool 
me again,” shouted Ha-yo-ho-go. “Now we 
have caught you. It is good. Pretty soon you 
will see what we propose to do.” 

Fearful that the excited old Medicine Man 
might again arouse the wath of the Mohawks, 
Jim seized the first opportunity to take the pris¬ 
oners to his lodge. 

‘ ‘ Mohawks, To-nes-sa-ah and I are very tired 
and we wish to sleep,” he said. “Do not dis¬ 
turb us until the great council fire is lighted. ’ ’ 
246 




SONGS OF VICTORY 


Then he and Holcombe took the prisoners to 
the little lodge at the end of the camp. A com¬ 
pany of old women and boys attempted to fol¬ 
low them, but Jim ordered them otf and they 
went away grumbling angrily. 

Once in the lodge, Jim bound the ankles of 
the prisoners, and then he and Holcombe lay 
down to sleep. Night had fallen when they 
were awakened by the noise in the camp. The 
Mohawks appeared to be preparing for a cere¬ 
mony. Jim went to the door of the lodge. A 
great fire was burning in the center of the vil¬ 
lage, and a large company of Mohawks had al¬ 
ready assembled. 

Jim, lad, itfil be plumb risky to take Trou- 
ville an' Stockley out thar," Holcombe whis¬ 
pered, uneasily. 

'' I know it,'' Jim told him. ' ‘ However, Dan, 
I can see no way of avoiding it. It was neces¬ 
sary to come to the camp to save time in reach¬ 
ing Fort Johnson. Besides, the Mohawks 
would have been offended if we had passed by 
their village." 

‘^Yes, that's true enough, but I don't like the 
idea o' danglin' our prisoners before their 
eyes,'' said Holcombe. 

''However, Dan, I believe we need fear only 
a few of the younger warriors." 

247 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


‘^They^re likely to start the others/^ replied 
Holcombe. 

‘‘We must prevent it,’^ Jim said, resolutely. 

They saw a company of Mohawks approach¬ 
ing the lodge. Jim was somewhat relieved to 
see Kichkinet and Black Cloud among them. 
He stepped from the lodge to meet them. 

‘ ‘ My brother, we are about to begin the coun¬ 
cil,” said Kichkinet. 

“It is good,” replied Jim. 

“Bring out Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brother,” 
cried a warrior. “Our people are waiting for 
them. ’ ’ 

Jim looked inquiringly at Kichkinet and Black 
Cloud. 

“Yes; bring them out, my brother,” said 
Kichkinet. 

Jim entered the lodge. He found Stock- 
ley on his knees in the agony of despair. As 
Jim approached, he cried out mldly for 
mercy. 

“Mason, you are leading me to my death,” he 
cried. “You know that the Mohawks will strike 
me down as they struck down Granger. Oh, oh, 
you are as pitiless as the Mohawks! Have 
mercy on me, for I am innocent. Save me, save 
me, before it is too late.” 

Trouville turned upon him in scornful anger. 

248 




SONGS OF VICTORY 


‘‘I thought you were a man, but I see you are 
only a dog, ’ ^ he said. 

As Holcombe stood in the doorway of the 
lodge, Jim stooped and unbound their ankles. 

‘^Rise to your feet, and see that you hold 
your tongues,’’ he commanded. 

Then he led them from the lodge and accom¬ 
panied the warriors toward the fire. The ap¬ 
proach of the prisoners threw the Mohawks into 
a tumult. Stockley collapsed and attempted to 
stop, but Jim pushed him forward. They ad¬ 
vanced through the company of jeering Mo¬ 
hawks, and made their way to Ha-yo-went-ha, 
who stood mth his escort in the center of the 
council circle. 

‘^Achawi, you have brought Ho-sa-ha-ho and 
his brother; it is good,” said Ha-yo-went-ha, 
as he looked sharply at Jim. 

''Great Chief, I have told you the words of 
the Great "White Chief,” said Jim. "He has 
asked me to bring Ho-sa-ha-ho and his brother 
before him. If I do not do as he has told me 
to do, bad things may come upon me. The Mo¬ 
hawks are my brothers. I believe they will 
help me to do this thing. I have no fear.” 

"Achawi, your words are good,” replied Ha- 
yo-went-ha. 

He signaled to Kichkinet, and Black Cloud 
249 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


and Stands Alone. They went forward and led 
the captives to heavy posts which had been set 
up near the fire. Then, as the Mohawks jeered 
and taunted them, Trouville and Stockley were 
securely bound to the posts. Stockley’s face 
was gray with fright, and great beads of sweat 
trickled down his forehead. His eyes rolled 
wildly, and a short, choking sob came from his 
pale, trembling lips. The Mohawks shouted 
with delight as an old woman ran up and twisted 
his nose. Trouville faced his foes without 
flinching. Having seen many brave men die at 
the torture stake, he was resolved to keep his 
courage to the end. 

‘‘Mohawks, look upon the men who have tried 
to fool you,’^ cried Ha-yo-went-ha. “There 
stands Ho-sa-ha-ho and his white brother. I 
have asked Achawi to bring them here so that 
all of you may see them. Look well. You will 
never see them again. Acham is about to take 
them to our brother, the Great White Chief. 
He will know what to do with them. ^ ^ 

As Ha-yo-went-ha paused, a young warrior 
drew his knife and rushed toward Stockley. 
Ha-yo-went-ha stopped him with a command. 

‘iYoung man, take care what you do,’’ he 
said, sternly. “I have told you what I wish 
you do. See that you do it. 

250 




SONGS OF VICTORY 


‘‘Now, my brothers, I am going to ask Achawi 
to give you his words. ’ ’ 

For an instant Jim exchanged glances with 
Holcombe. They knew that the peril had 
passed, and the prisoners were safe from at¬ 
tack. Jim^s heart filled with gratitude as he 
realized that the affection and loyalty of the 
Mohawks had finally overcome even their fierce 
desire for vengeance, and they had resolved to 
comply with his wishes. 

“My brothers, I see that you propose to help 
me do what the Great White Chief has sent me 
to do,’’ he told them. “It makes me feel very 
big. I will tell the Great White Chief what you 
have done. He will feel good about it. I be¬ 
lieve he will send many presents for his 
brothers, the Mohawks. 

“Now, my brothers, before I tell you what 
I propose to do, I must tell you about those 
brave scouts who came to help me. Kichkinet 
slipped away from the Shawnees, and came 
here to tell you what had happened to us. 
Kichkinet is very brave. Black Cloud went to 
the Shawnee camp and found out about Ho-sa- 
ha-ho and his brother. Black Cloud was in 
great danger, but he was too sharp to be caught. 
Stands Alone went with him. He was as brave 
as Black Cloud, but only one could creep up to 
251 




CAPTAIN JIM MASON 


the camp. Dancing Wolf, and Yellow Eagle, 
and Little Bear fought otf the Ojibwas who 
were with Ho-sa-ha-ho. They were very brave. 
Those warriors who came to save us from the 
Shawnees were very brave. They rushed down 
the ridge and chased the Shawnees through the 
woods like frightened rabbits. My, brothers, I 
propose to tell my people about these things.’^ 

‘^It is good,” cried the Mohawks. 

‘‘Now, my brothers, I mil tell you what I 
propose to do,” said Jim. “When the sun 
comes, I am going to the village of the Great 
White Chief. I will ask you to take me down 
the river in your canoes. It will save much 
time. I will ask your great chief Ha-yo-went-ha 
and many of your warriors to go with me. 
Then they will see what becomes of Ho-sa-ha- 
ho and his brother. ’ ’ 

“It is good; it is good,” cried the Mohawks. 

Kichkinet and many other famous warriors 
made talks praising Jim and Holcombe, and the 
night was far gone when the council finally 
came to an end. 

Soon after sunrise Jim and Holcombe led the 
prisoners from the camp, and made their way 
to the river. A great company of Mohawks fol¬ 
lowed them to jeer and threaten the captives. 

Ten canoes were drawn up at the edge of the 
252 




SONGS OF VICTORY 


water, and Ha-yo-went-ha and a notable com¬ 
pany of warriors embarked to accompany Jim 
to Fort Johnson. Stockley entered a canoe 
with Kichkinet and Black Cloud. Trouville 
hesitated, and turned to look upon the vast un¬ 
broken forest which extended for unknown 
leagues toward his beloved northland. His face 
was serious, and there was a soft, wistful look in 
his eyes. 

‘‘Ba gosh, I bleeve she^s be long tarn wen 
Jacques Trouville travel dose woods agin,’’ 
he said, sadly. ‘^Bah, I was de great fool, eh?” 

Then he shrugged his shoulders and laughed 
lightly. 

‘‘Messieurs, Jacques Trouville is ready for 
begin—his long journee,” he said, as he entered 
the canoe with Jim and Holcombe. 

( 1 ) 


THE END 



































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